Gear Breaker
by Caccus
Summary: The clock cannot be stopped. Propelled to the future, Rubina employs their soldiers against the giant mechanic wyverns of Archeria. What becomes of a young soldier who finds his fate in the heat of battle against a Wrath LOS?
1. Chapter 1

Gear Breaker: Chapter One

The wind whistled over the husks of dead, burnt-out buildings. The wind flew through the ins and outs of the destroyed city like a bird, dragging itself along the chambers and nooks and crannies; blowing up a symphony of desolation. An old church stood alone, being built out of granite, it stood up well to the ages of time and the fires of war.

Inside, a pair of rats tussled over a dead bone, intent on fighting to live, only to die perhaps the next day.

A military boot crunched down on both of them, and marched to the exit. Wearing the boot was a suit, that carried a mask, that carried a gun. It scanned his surroundings, searching for immediate threats. Fingers tapped selections on the side of the helmet, and a scanner shone on the suit's HUD. Two bogeys, moving southwest past his position, ETA two minutes.

The mask took a look to the sky, and spied the bell tower of the dead church.

The PREYs were lightly armed, agile, and swift scouting devices. They were shaped after long-dead raptors, and armed with the ability to leap and to claw anything in their way. These particular models were Type V preys, for velocity. Their purpose served to quickly harass and retreat against the individual Rubinians that was caught alone. In large groups, they were deadly.

The first V-prey leapt onto a pile of broken cinderblocks, and identified its target. A small farm that was placed in good location for maximum sunlight; it supplied food for an entire Rubine squad every week. Squawking at its partner, it took off at full speed to attack the target.

The suit set his gun on the windowsill of bell tower, taking careful aim at the screaming prey. As soon as it took off, he let it have it! 2500 rounds per minute cut up the air and cut up the V-prey like paper in a wheat thresher. It tumbled to the ground in a dozen different pieces.

The second V-prey wasted no time for surprise or regret, and immediately took off in the suit's direction. It ducked under the recoil of the bullets and hit the church courtyard fast. With an impossible leap, it took off, flying straight at the windowsill. Time seemed to stop right before it hit its target. A finger squeezed a separate, smaller trigger.

A shotgun blast rang out in the abandoned city, taking the second V-prey with it.

Sighing with relief, the suit got up, and started back to base.

One step is all he took.

* * *

Rubine Combat Class

"Rhiem, pay attention." Rhiem woke with the smallest of starts. He had been drooling on his desk for a while now. "This class isn't to bore you, it's for your survival. Pay attention now, and live a bit longer." Rheim was in Combat Informatics class, surrounded by his fellow students and comrades. The Lecture Hall amplified the voice of the teacher, who was a 5 year veteran and retired due to a lost leg.

The teacher took back to his board. "These are called Avianous. They are medium-sized, bird shaped Wyviods that are comparable to our army's humvees. It has no air combat capabilities, only fireballs and its massive beak are used for combat. It is meant to be used in large numbers for skirmishes. As of now, there are unconfirmed variations of Avianous that affect the battlefield differently." The teacher flipped the chalkboard.

A diagram of a large Wyviod covered the entire slate. The head was covered in carved spines, and the wings spread out like an eagle.

The body was that of a wyvern, covered in plated carapace and resistant shields.

"This is the Wrath LOS. The Wrath describes the type, and the LOS stands for Lone Operating System. Anything that has been classified by the Rubine Armed Scouts ending with OS is described as being extremely dangerous. You see, Wyviods like Avianous and Preys require no operator inside. But larger Wyviods like the WRATH and the Krav require an operator; a pilot by our speech. These contain a highly trained enemy, and should never be underestimated. Machines are only so powerful. These are humans."

Teacher started pacing the room.

"Long have been the Archeries way, to be encased and empower themselves with these mechanoid beasts. They hide and build their machines in a crazed attempt to destroy us. It may have been that their mechas were based off of long extinct animals that lived once upon a time."

The teacher turned full circle and faced his audience of students.

"and just like animals, they can be killed, or destroyed. Today I teach you how."

The entire class, save Rhiem, sat up straighter. Teacher had been avoiding the secret to actually killing the Wyviods until now. He reached down, and opened a large chamber that was concealed under his podium. He pulled up a chain, and tugged hard on it.

With a crash, the head of a Avianous thudded onto the concrete floor. The neck had been blown off, wires and artificial tendons hung frayed out the open neck hole. The students closest to the head recoiled, and pushed back; the huge beak and the red eyes of the Avianous were still fearsome in death. "Pay close attention." Teacher reached with thick gloves and pried open the sharp beak. At first, there was nothing to be seen, but Teacher pulled out a taser, and zapped something deep inside.

RAAAWKKK!

The scream of the Avianous shook the lecture hall, and the horrible sound lingered and echoed into the hall, making it sound as if they were surrounded.

Surrounded…so this is what Rubine Soldiers face if they are trapped by these things. Rhiem stared deep into the slowly dimming head. Inside…he could see…a Gear? The light of it was fading quick, and soon, the space inside the beak was covered in darkness once more. Teacher tossed the taser away.

"Did anyone see what was inside, deep in the beak of the Head?" Students slowly shook their heads. All of them were still in shock from hearing their first scream.

Rhiem kicked back his chair, and spoke up: "There was a Gear…a glowing red gear in the center."

Teacher slowly turned to face Rhiem. Slight surprise marked his face.

"That's right. It's called the Soul Gear. Every large Wyviod has one installed somewhere on it. It controls the actions, the movements, and the ability of the Wyviod. It is literally the Soul of the Machine." Teacher paused, and took off his glasses.

"You destroy the Soul Gear, and you destroy the Bot. As of right now, I'm not classified to tell you all the Gears upon every enemy model. But just remember… the Gear flashes White when the Bot releases it's final move." Teacher pulled on the chain, and the clinking Avianous Head slowly pulled up into the ceiling. "That's it. Class dismissed."

He kicked the Avainous' head onto a small lift. "Leave."

Rhiem scooped the thick stew into his mouth. The warmth felt good with dead wind that was prevalent during the day. Inside, the cafeteria was packed with students from the Rubine Military Academy, as lunch break in the Fortress was on.

"Hey Rhiem." One of Rhiem's peers greeted him, and sat down. "You know, Gagam was found today. Burned to a crisp in the Rothenberg Church under a mountain of rubble."

"….Hm" Rhiem got up "It hurts to hear that…People are dying every day, and I want to do something about it."

"…Your first patrol is today, right?"

"Yeah."

"You were always amazing. Three years earlier than everyone in our year." The kid fixed Rhiem with a concerned look. "Don't end up like Gagam, alright?"

"Alright."

Rhiem gazed out at the dead landscape. The hill he was on overlooked the majority of the burned-out city. Tapping sensors on his helmet, he saw his designated patrol route.

It went right past the Rothenberg Church.

Cursing, Rhiem realized what the Rubine officials were playing at. They weren't sending him there to scout, they were sending him to lure out whatever attacked Gagam. Rhiem was sure there were snipers in the surrounding building, waiting for him to be attacked. Waiting for him to die.

"Well," He thought "They can go to Hell. I won't die that easily." He checked his Assault Rifle, and his Machete. The Rifle he had was bench made, capable of a thousand rounds a minute. The scope zoomed up to 10x magnification, and it unleashed bullets of .358 caliber. The machete was a machete, but Rhiem never trusted firearms. Unless he could feel the machine die, he wasn't safe. His pace brought him to the burned out tower of the Church. He gazed up at the shell of decrepit wood and charcoal, making the top look more like a malignant tumor on what used to be a beautiful building.

In the distance, he could hear a faint roar. Slowly, Rheim searched the skies. Today, clouds of dust blotted out the sun, and darkened the earth.

The street seemed to swirl and laugh at his impending doom.

The roar grew louder…

…Rheim's head turned fast and faster, looking everywhere…

…The clacking of claws and teeth could be heard now…

…impossible, it had to be somewhere…

…The air pressure from huge wing beats brushed up against Rheim's cheek.

"no….NO!"

Breathing heavily, Rheim calmed himself. It was in his head.

"Guph!" His foot caught on something, and he tripped. Tumbling, Rheim fell into a ditch at the side of the Church. Reaching out, he felt something warm. When he pulled himself up, he got a good look at what caught his foot.

It was a girl. She had pale skin and a silver sheet of hair that shone in the darkness.

"Wha?" Rheim felt the girl's neck. Her skin was smooth, and warm. "Still alive?"

A real roar shook the streets. It was the sound of impending doom. Rheim pulled the girl up, and he could feel her breath on his neck.

"Shit!" Rheim dashed along the side of the street, looking to the source. He had to get back! "Where are those snipers?"

The roar grew louder.

Rheim stopped. Slowly, he turned his neck. Perched on the top of the burnt-out Church tower, it's poisonous tail wrapped around the sides, and it's steel wings folded up against it'a body. Snapping, it locked onto Rheim. The Wrath LOS.

"Shit." Rheim grabbed hard onto the girl's sides, and sprinted as fast as he could down the old street way.

Where the hell were those snipers?

Rheim rounded a corner, and saw-a building, still smoking and blown to bits from the outside. He saw three or four more smoke trails listing into the air. He then realized that there would be no help. No more snipers hidden in the shadows. It only him, a comatose girl, versus a Wrath LOS. He set the girl down at the side, and drew his assault rifle. Screaming, he charged out.

But it was gone.

Rheim searched all around, looking for the Wrath. The air pressure to his right alerted him of the Bot. Rheim squeezed the trigger, sending bullets flying after the Wrath which was circling the skies. It shot out a solitary fireball, impacting a foot to the right of Rheim. He hurriedly grabbed the girl, and ran as fast as he could down the street. The ground exploded all around him as fireballs tore up the street.

Rheim screamed and screamed as he rolled into the next building. The abandoned office was filled with dusty, rotting desks and scattered ashes flooded the ground. Crouching under a dusty old desk, he looked into the doorway.

The Wrath LOS looked right back at him. Rheim saw the red, observing eyes, and the calculations that were going through it's head to the Operator inside the thing.

He then saw it, the flash of the Soul Gear. And then he knew he was dead. The fire could be seen gathering at the mouth, a force that wished not to be contained. He unconsciously gripped the unknown girl tight, ready for his last moments. Then an explosion rocked the side of the Wrath LOS's face. A second RPG hit the carapace, and the Wrath focused on the unseen savior. It retreated to the skies, roaring insults at the perpetrator.

Rheim looked down at the sleeping girl. She seemed at peace, even though the two had just gone through a form of hell.

He sighed.


	2. Chapter 3

Gear Breaker: Chapter Two

Rhiem was silent. The humvee hit a bump, and he had to steady the unknown girl again, who was lying in the back, resting her head. The Teacher spoke up first.

"You're going to tell me what THAT is doing here." It wasn't a question. Teacher took a quick glance in the rear view mirror, observing the Girl for an instant before snapping back to the road. Rhiem stared straight ahead at the dusty trail, hardly glancing at his Savior. It was bad enough that he should be saved by the Teacher, but having to explain to out this girl…

"I just found her lying in a ditch, I don't know where she came from."  
"…What kind of bullshit are you pulling? We are the only settlement in miles. Any human you would have found out there came from here."  
"Shu- I don't know. I just found her."

"…"

"If you're lying--"  
"I'm not lying!"

"…." The Teacher looked furious. He pushed up his glasses, and drove the rest of the way back to the Rubine Firebase in silence.

**Medical Bay**

The medics didn't ask any questions, but the leader quickly took the girl's blood pressure and laid her on a bed. The Medical Bay was empty today, with all patients in triage on the frontlines. The Medics, with business to attend to, left the bay quickly. Rhiem almost got up to follow them, but looked back at the girl, sleeping alone in the Bay.  
Well….He could wait. It wouldn't feel right to have a girl just wake up, alone, in an unfamiliar place.  
He slumped onto the chair, set his headphones on, and waited. The sun was shining in the window, and shone off the dust, making a beam of light that bisected the entire bay. Rhiem needed only to stare at it for a second before falling asleep.

"Whuh?" A breath of cold wind pinched his face. He sat up, and saw that the sun was quickly receding back into the horizon. It was almost nighttime. He shivered, even with his jacket, and pulled the folds in tighter.

His eyes traveled to the girl. She had no blankets, nothing except the plain white Shirt-dress Rhiem found her in. Underneath…Rhiem quickly pushed out the temptations he had to find out. She must be extremely cold. He took off his combat jacket, and covered the torso of the girl. Her silver hair shone against the black of his jacket.  
There was a supply depot about a mile from here, with all accessories including blankets. He would go to get one.

When Rhiem had got to the depot, he realized that his iPod was gone. Shit. It must have been in his jacket.

He grabbed the warmest blanket he could find, and hurried back to the Medical Bay. The dead, dried ground felt brittle under his boots. About halfway there, he could hear…singing? Rhiem stopped. If he was right…

_That was Tiana??_

Tiana was a Rubine-born, Pop-idol that personally Rhiem despised, but had gotten one of her songs on a whim. Yes…it was Tiana! He recognized the lyrics. But this was different. Her singing…had gotten better. And the music was coming from the Medical Bay.  
Rhiem was confused.

He got to the door of the Bay, Tiana's song was coming to an end. Rhiem pushed through the door carefully, getting ever-more curious as to why Ana would be in there. She was supposed to be in the Capitol!  
Rhiem took a glance into the wards.  
In the fading sunset, the girl's hair shone an incandescent orange. Her torso was propped against the back of the bed, and her lithe hands held Rhiem's iPod. The Headphones clamped around her head, and she sung to the tune of "Love is for Fools"  
The last of the song ended, and her singing stopped. It was nothing like Rhiem had ever heard. She was better than Tiana, by far. While Tiana sang like a bird that was tied to a stove and force-inhaled helium, this girl sung like she was an angel.

The girl glanced to her side, and noticed Rhiem. She took off the headphones, and smiled softly.  
"Hello. Is this yours?" She held up the iPod. Rhiem was struck dumb.  
"Oh, that's right. I don't know your name." Rhiem's words managed to tumble out.

"What-- I'm-- That my question! After that, what were you doing way in the middle of Autsutchz? That town's abandoned! What's your settlement number? How can you sing like that?"  
"Hm? You ask a lot of questions"  
"Don't…don't you remember anything?"  
"I didn't come from anywhere."  
"What? You LOST your memories?"  
"No. I never lost anything. I far as I'm concerned, I was born today."

"Ah, this pamphlet is yours too." The girl pulled out a piece of paper from the jacket pocket. "I thought it might be private, so I didn't look at it." The pamphlet was a slip concerning this week's alert monster, the Wrath LOS.

"Hm?" The girl took a look at the diagram of the Wrath LOS on the front. "It has a Rioreusu on the front?"  
"A what?"  
"Hm…People like naming themselves after animals, right? I think I'll be called Rioreusu."  
"Er…that's, that's a bit too long for me to remember. How about Riu?"  
"Riu…I like it."  
"I'm called Rhiem. How can you sing like that? That was amazing! You could be professional!"  
"I don't know...it just seems natural."  
…Rhiem had nothing else to say.

Riu smiled. She spoke softly, delicately. "So I don't know you very well. Why don't you start with how we met?"

Rhiem sighed, and started with how he was first put on the patrol. Riu's face was very responsive to the events as Rhiem told her. Her eyes widened and her face grew concerned each time Rhiem spoke of an explosion that nearly killed them both, or how he had to look into the eyes of the Wrath LOS, ready for it to kill the two of them.

Rhiem thought he saw a small smile when he said he went to go get a blanket for her. Now that he could see her clearly, he thought her to be slightly younger than him.  
"So you saved me, right?"  
"Well, I wouldn't say saved--"  
"You did. Thank you."  
"Uh…alright."

Every day after that, Rhiem visited Riu in the Medical Bay. She didn't have a lot of company, as the medics kept as impersonal as possible. The Medics were trained not to get too attached to patients, as they could die the next day. Such was the life in the Military.

Riu brightened every time she saw Rhiem, and gradually grew better and less pale. She felt well enough to sing in the next week.

"Hey Rhiem, what's this about you getting a Girlfriend?" Loki came over, patting Rhiem on the back. Loki had a rat's tail that traveled down to his chest. He constantly played with it.

"Y'Know, the one they say's better than Tiana."  
"Tiana is shit. You know that."  
"Fell for a girl with a golden voice, huh?"  
"I found her in a ditch."  
"Wonder if she has golden looks too. If you're not going to have a bite, why don't you introduce her to me, huh?"  
"Shut up"  
"Shit. Well, you can't stop me from visiting her. She's everyone's guest here." And Loki was right. Gradually, more and more enlisted came to see the mysterious young girl. Soon, Riu was a small celebrity in the Rubine Firebase.  
She'll soon get a fan base to rival Tiana's, Rhiem thought.  
He was walking down the path to the Medical Bay again, when he heard the siren. First warning. Everyone to battle stations.

The Klaxon rang across the firebase, and the Command Center's Central Cannon, the Quad C, rose from the depths of it's dome-like structure.

An attack.

Riu.

Rhiem grabbed the Assault Rifle from his shoulder, and sprinted to the Medical Bay. A shadow passed over him as he ran. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he scanned the skies.  
A dust explosion shot out to his left. An Avianous, full and big, started it's warning growls. The huge beak, sharpened to an edge, clacked hungrily; metal against metal. Rhiem could see the pistons and the powerful metallic muscles that ran the length of the Bird-like Wyviod, covered by a large and thick carapace.  
Between the Medical Bay and Rhiem was the damn beast. He could see the building, only a quarter of a mile away. Rhiem readied his gun. Yelling, he charged at the beast, pumping slug after slug into the Avianous. It flew up, far into the skies, and disappeared for a second. Rhiem fired blindly into the air, hoping to hit it. A dozen squawks answered his gunshots.

Five? No, ten of them? A huge group of Avianous swooped down on Rhiem. He rolled out of the way, letting the troupe of beasts overshoot, and scatter again into the sky. He saw out of the corner of his eye, teams of Avianous were attacking similarly. The Quad C thundered; a huge explosion of a muzzle flash erupted from the gaping barrel, and he saw five or six Avianous drop out of the sky a mile away like a load of bricks. Rhiem flattened against a nearby building as the Avianous regrouped to the skies. One stayed behind. It searched the rows of buildings, looking for something.

It locked onto Rhiem.

"Shit"

It shot out a napalm pellet, splattering the wall above Rhiem's head. The deadly gel burned through the concrete like a knife through hot butter.

"Ahhh!" The heated air scalded Rhiem's flesh. He aimed for the vulnerable head, and unloaded into the Avianous. Bullets ricocheted off the beak, and left solid dents in the face. It barely missed Rhiem's arm with another napalm pellet, the gob of gel burning through a patch of dirt off the side. Rhiem drew his machete, and slashed the leg as hard as he could. To his surprise, the leg gave more than he thought it would, and it tripped the Avianous. The robot hit the ground hard, attempting to find balance with only one limb.

Rhiem tossed the pin off a grenade, and shoved it into the Wyviod's mouth. He dashed off to the medical bay, as the grenade blew the head off the beast. A single, smoking, burned out gear hit the concrete. It lay there for a second, before shattering to pieces.

Rhiem burst into the Medical Bay. Riu was sitting at her bed, looking scared.  
"Rhiem? What's going on?" Rhiem ran over to Riu's bed, and lifted her up.  
"No time, we have to go NOW!" Rhiem punched through the door, letting the sunlight hit his eyes. He charged forwards blindly, looking for the main force.

A familiar, terrible roar shook his mind.

The Wrath LOS was perched right on the Medical Bay. It's claws were stained with blood, and the broken pieces from the RPG that hit it's face was apparent on it, like a scar. Machinery could be heard as it readied itself for a fiery blast. Rhiem started running as fast as he could.  
A cloud of napalm burst forth from the Wrath LOS's mouth, covering everything below it. Rhiem just barely managed to make it through without suffering terrible burns.

The Wrath LOS roared, and swooped down to end the lives of the two humans.

The Quad C burst forth one last blast.

A shotgun-type crag struck the Wrath LOS everywhere. Tiny pellets stuck itself into the Composite armor of the Wrath and flared, leaving it's mark. The Wrath, critically injured, left, in humiliation.

Rhiem, exhausted, dragged Riu over to the main force. Medics were setting up a triage, and as soon as one of the nurses saw the two, she immediately sat Rhiem down, applying salve to his burns. The nurse tried to lift Rhiem's arms off of Riu. She grew testy when Rhiem unconsciously resisted.  
"I can't help you if you won't let go of that young lady," The nurse pouted. "You're hurting her!"

Rhiem then just noticed that he had a death grip on Riu.

Riu slowly lifted Rhiem's arms off.  
"This is the second time you've saved me, and you keep on getting hurt because of it…I'm so sorry"  
"Don't do that…blaming yourself. I'll protect anyone close to me."

"So, she's close to you, Private Rhiem?" Rhiem started, and then looked up. The Captain, in full uniform, and covered in dirt and grime. "I need to talk to you. About this girl, Riu."

"She…She doesn't remember anything."  
"That's fine. You come with me. Nurse Taya, please attend to Riu here." The Captain took on a softer look. "Nothing will happen to her. Don't worry."

"…alright"


	3. Chapter 4

Gear Breaker: Chapter Three

Night fell on the Rubina base. The moon hung in the sky, every now and then letting a ray of silver light rain on the earth.

It was a routine. The short interrogation, the filling out of the report, and the dispatch. Rhiem walked out of Captain's tent like he had just walked out of a grocery store. It was too…easy. Rhiem turned and headed towards the Medical Bay, to check on Riu one last time before he retired for bed. Rhiem slowly opened the door, in case she had already fallen asleep. He peered in, and grew frustrated that the room was pitch-black. He waited through the darkness, looking for the light-switch.

Then, the moon shone into the room, and illuminated everything in a silver luster.  
His breath seemed to freeze in mid-air.

Riu was gone.

As soon as he caught a glimpse of the room, he ran over to the light switch, and turned the neon lights on.  
Rhiem quickly scanned all the rest of the beds, looking for Riu. Nothing. Nothing but the plain white beds, all ominously uniform and spotless. Like Riu was never there. Rhiem started to panic. Where in the world could she be? Bathroom? No, then why would she make the bed?

Sick? Stupid. This was the Medical Bay. She would wind up here anyway.

Nurse Taya. She was the last one to see Riu. Rhiem leaped over to the records, quickly finding Nurse Taya's room number. Dormitory # 4, room 18.  
Rhiem ran all the way over to the Dormitories, and found 4-18. Rhiem bashed on the door, tossing out courtesy and manners.

A suitably grouchy Mayella Taya opened the door groggily.  
"Wha?"  
"Ms. Taya, that girl, Riu, did you see where she went after you treated her?"  
"The…captaintookherfor……screen…buh." As soon as Rhiem heard the word, "captain" he dashed to the one last place Riu could be. The Central Command Center.  
He kicked open the door, and brushed off the offended person on the other side. Rhiem turned a corner, and dodged into a side corridor.

The hallways were gray and poorly lit in that manner, the lights hung low off the ceiling, and divided the world between light and darkness. Rhiem took a right, then a left…how many more?  
He stopped at a gray door, nearly hidden behind a metal container. Rhiem slid the door open. Inside, a jail-cell lurked in the corner, ominously. In the darkness, Rhiem could see the silver of Riu's hair. Rhiem took only one step before he got yanked by the collar, Hard.

The force drew him backwards, and threw him against the adjacent wall.

Rhiem hit the ground on his side, and his lungs started to bruise. The Captain stepped out of the shadows. His meaningful, soulful eyes spoke volumes of veterency, and powerful muscles rippled under the commander's combat vest.  
"Private Rhiem. Where do you think you are going?"  
"What…what are you doing with Riu?"  
"Imprisonment. We can't let her escape."  
"WHAT? For WHAT?"

"It doesn't concern you. If your life doesn't want to become miserable, you'll pick yourself up and return to the barracks." Rhiem slowly, but painfully, pulled himself up.

"Not…without…Riu."  
"You have strong will. But trust me, ignorance is bliss. You'll live a happier life if you leave immediately."  
"…You think I'll…take that shit…as an Answer?!?" Rhiem managed to prop himself up against the wall. "Why are you taking Riu?"

…

…

"You fool. That is the best Jail in the Base. It's the Death-row."

Rhiem could feel the hairs on his neck rise with fear and confusion. Death-row? For What?!?  
"She didn't do anything! What are you doing?!?"  
"Fool." The Captain bore down upon Rhiem, letting the aura from his presence intimidate the boy. "She's an Archeries Illuminate. The Great Enemy."  
"What?"  
"Do you see that silver hair anywhere in Rubina? Or the fact that you found her miles from any other human encampment, other than this firebase…and the unknown Archeries Stronghold elsewhere."  
"She's doesn't remember anything! She's innocent!"  
"She's an enemy. No doubt an elite operator, who knows how many have died at her command"  
"YOU SAID NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN TO HER!"  
"…for my duty, I will become the devil." The Captain spoke with a finality that left no space for argument. Rhiem's head was growing light-headed from shouting. The world started spinning.  
"No…no! I was the one who brought her here! Whatever happens let me take the punishment!"  
"I can't do that."  
"Please!"  
"She has one chance. I am not a dishonorable man; and you're right. We should not treat and heal a person, then kill them. So I will give her one chance only. In single combat, if Riu can end my life, she may go free."

"You…you know that's a death sentence!" The Captain was a Class-SSA close range fighter, with enough experience, skill, and strength to take on fifty trained soldiers at a time. Against a weak girl like Riu, she would be destroyed.

"You have a duty to yourself to sort out your priorities." The Captain stopped for a second.  
"The Execution is tomorrow. You have until then." Rhiem walked as if he were underwater, each footfall a heavy chain locked to the floor.

"Riu…"

0545 hours, Central Square.

Loki was acting secretary. In front of the assembled troops, he was giving his report.  
"It has been discovered that the subject here," Loki swept his hand to Riu, who was on a platform, and chained to a ring on a metal stake. "Is an Archeries Illuminate." A murmuring, hidden, but enormous, passed through the crowd like wildfire. Many of them had never seen an Archeries before, and none of them ever suspected Riu.

"The law says that we must execute all enemies. However, because of the Captain's honor, he will face off in single combat against the Archeries." The Captain, in a fresh suit, and armed on every limb with a large knife. Riu, chained to a pole, confused, and weak.  
A Rubine guard came forth with a selection of weapons.  
"Miss. Chose one'm." Riu silently went over all the various sharp objects and firearms contained in the case. She shook her head, and the guard stepped back.

The Captain searched to observing crowd until he saw the spot where Rhiem was supposed to be. An empty space was there, like a hole on a beautiful face. The Captain kicked the ground in disgust. His friend was about to die, and he couldn't even be here to support her?!? Coward!  
The Captain's gaze traveled back to the Archeries. He knew in his heart the frail girl had zero chance. But it would be the height of dishonor to not give her any chance at all, and a breach of his sense of duty. The girl was ready. He gazed over, and saw that she had no weapon.  
"Dying on your own terms, are you? I respect that." Just a swift cut to the throat, and she would die painlessly. He raised the knife, and pulled back, ready to throw it.

A single black glove caught it, with tremendous strength. Strength of one who is protecting.

Rhiem spoke softly.  
"I've made my decision, Captain." Rhiem seemed to command more of a presence now.  
"I'm eternally grateful to the military for taking me in, for providing me with food and shelter and family once my parents had died. It has been the reason I live today…"

The Captain caught the hesitation in his voice.  
"However?"

"However…I joined the military to protect the ones who are close to me, and to other people. Yet what would I be in the army for, if I couldn't protect my close ones from there either?!?" Rhiem pushed the Captain back.

"Captain, this is my decision." Rhiem stretched out his hand. "Sugar, throw me my usual!"

Corporal "Sugar" Johnson felt no reason to argue. He reached into the case offered to Riu, and tossed his friend the #17 tomahawk.  
"No! Rhiem! Don't do it!" Riu struggled frantically against the pole she was chained to. Sugar put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at him.  
"Dun't worry, Miss. Rhiem will'o fine. I kin feel it."

Rhiem held his tomahawk in ready stance. The Captain dropped low, and reached for a knife. The arm swept, and a knife flew at Rhiem's chest. He rolled, and charged at the Captain.  
A second, hastier knife went to Rhiem's leg, trying to cripple him. He blocked it with the handle of his Tomahawk. The eight-inch knife stuck barely into the carbon handle.

Only twenty feet between the two fighters. The Captain wasted no more knives, and drew his third one. Yet he wasn't the only one who could throw.  
Rhiem took a decisive step down, and hurled the tomahawk straight at his Captain. The Captain hit the ground, hard, to avoid it.

But now…Private Rhiem had no weapon. The Captain took one more step.

A whizzing, growing louder, became apparent to his careful ears. The Captain realized what it was at the last second, and hit the ground, hard, a humiliating second time.  
A free chain was attached the center of the Tomahawk, and Rhiem has pulled it back, making a second trip back to his hand.  
"Rhiem…when did you modify that gear?"  
"During class. When I should had been learning how to survive. Guess not paying attention paid off."  
"You have no chance of winning. Even with your tricks... Keep your honor and your life, and desist immediately."  
"*sigh*…I know I have no chance of winning. And I know you would win this fight if it continued."  
"What do you mean, if it continued?"  
"I mean…" Rhiem raised a single, black-gloved hand. "You have more pressing matters to worry about." The Captain whirled around, and saw, in the distance, an estimate of an entire fleet of Wyvoids approaching their base. The Captain stared back at Rhiem with incredulous fury.  
"You Planned this?!"  
"I predicted it. You wonder why the Archeries launched a fruitless skirmish on the Rubine Firebase? It was to retrieve Riu. I didn't make the connection until now." The Captain screamed to his officers to marshal the men. They would have to fight.

"I'll take Riu." Rhiem walked over to where Riu was chained, and swiftly cut the metal links in one stroke.

"Goodbye, Captain"


	4. Chapter 6

Chapter 4

Huff! Huff!" Rhiem flattened himself against a decript car. Glancing around the bumper, he motioned for Riu to follow. Riu slipped down behind a large net of garrote wires, and dashed across the street to follow him. Rhiem poked his head around the corner. A searchlight stood tall on the abandoned radio tower, sweeping the entire section of the town. He slipped into an imploded bakery, and lay up against the reception counter. Neither of the two made a sound.

A light, bright and baleful, cut across the room like a saber. A soldier stood in the doorway. Behind the red visor, the soldier scanned for lifeforms. Satisfied, the soldier moved on.  
"Nice gun." Rhiem swept under the soldier like a whirlwind, trippig the man and smashing him hard against the concrete. Rhiem pried the gun from the unsuspecting soldier's hands, and pointed it at him.  
"Don't move. Just wait there, and put your hands" The man struck Rhiem in the groin. "-Guh!" Rhiem recovered quickly and tried to point the gun at the soldier again, but the soldier was too quick on the draw, and smacked the firearm out of Rhiem's hands. Rhiem pulled out his Tomahawk, to match the Stun Fist that covered the Soldier's right fist. The Stun Fist was a dangerous weapon that delivered ten million volts of electricity every second, into machine or man. One scrape from the Stun Fist would paralyze him for hours. Rhiem swung at the man, aiming for the leg, and trying to trip him. The soldier swung the Stun Fist, the deadly guantlet crushing a nearby locker. He punched against, cracking the wall. Rhiem caught the forearm, and pulled it over his shoulder. Both went flying, however, Rhiem landed on the unfortunate man.

He checked the unknown man's pulse. Still alive.

Rhiem collected the Stun Fist, and the Rifle the soldier had. He checked the model. It was a SQR 234 Battle Rifle. Scope and the whole shebang. Rhiem motioned for Riu to follow him out. Riu glanced for a second at the unconcious man.  
"Forgive me..."

It was morning. The sun rose along the skeletons of charred buildings, streaming through the cracks of burnt steel and crumbled walls. Rhiem woke up, and stared out at the gray sky. This was the first time he woke up without a ceiling to look at. For a second, it hit him that he had thrown away his entire life. The sky started spinning, and Rhiem felt dizzy in the head. He stood up again. The two of them needed to move.  
Daylight travel was usually the safest. Hostiles could be seen for miles. However, in this case, any hostile would have to be deftly avoided, at all costs. Even a glimpse of either Rhiem or Riu would spell disaster. Rhiem made his way through an abandoned elevated highway, using the cover of the huge bridge to hide the from spy drones.

"...we should take a break here." Rhiem tossed the small rucksack he had on his back onto the floor. "Whew..."

Riu curled up, and stared at the ground.  
"Where are we going?" Rhiem barely glanced at her.

"...To a Fringe settlement. Over there, where people live independant lives. You should be safer over there."  
Riu's silver hair swept up as she turned her head.  
"And what about you?"

Rhiem hesitated for a second. This was not missed by Riu.  
"I...I'll go back to the Rubine Firebase. They'll let me back in..."

Riu curled up even tighter, and focused even harder onto the ground.  
"I'm sorry..."

The fringe settlement was not hard to find. In the cove of a abandoned city, a wall made of broken pieces of concrete and scavenged metal stood like an enormous fence, surrounding the pocket of what Rhiem assumed to be a lake. The two of them came to a checkpoint in the road. Two guards, dressed in nothing more than plain clothes, stood, holding SMGs. One of them noticed Rhiem and Riu.

Alarmed, he scrambled to take the safety off his gun.

"HALT!" Rhiem was not impressed. The kid was over three years older than him, yet held the gun like an amatuer. "I SAID HALT!"

"Spare me."  
"DROP YOUR GUN!" The second guard had finally found his magazine, and pointed his gun at Rhiem, too.

"DROP IT!"  
In one motion, Rhiem grabbed the barrel of one SMG, and twisted the barrel to face the second. He quickly used the first barrel to knock the second gun into the sky, and ripped the first SMG out of the unsuspecting guard's hands. Rhiem tripped the guard with the stock, and gave him a kick for good measure. Rubina training was far superior to whatever wish-wash that the Fringe settlements conducted.

Rhiem grabbed the second SMG on its way down.

Holding both guns, he pointed the two at the unarmed guards.  
"You two will escort me and this girl into your settlement. Now." The guards looked at each other, and then the guns.

Ootya Fringe Settlement

"What? An intruder?" The fat and portly minutemen commander fell off his chair. "Get the troops out! Sound the bell!" The town hall, (a large amount of scrap concrete and wires) Rang out its warning bell. Screaming, unprepared men rushed from their homes and to the armory. They swarmed in front of the doorway to the armory, while the Minutemen Commander made his way to the lock.

"Come on...open!" The lock fit in, and the Commander rushed his troops in. "Hurry! Arm yourselves!"

Suddenly, they were all rushing out.

The commander was left, dazed, at the mouth of the armory. Inside, sat Rhiem, on a box of RPG warheads, and holding an SMG and a battle rifle.

"Nice guns," He smirked.

* * *

Chapter 5

"So what is your reason for being here?" Riu and Rhiem were across the Fringe Settlement leader, Chief in council. There were rough pads set across the floor; a low-set tea table made of old wood held the center of the small tent. The Chief was dressed in an extremely old Yukuta, that flowed far past her, ending like a small train behind her dainty feet. The enormity of the dress offset the fact...

The Settlement Chief was merely a small girl.

"Well? I'm not here to solely to enjoy your company. Speak." The Chief poured some more root tea, and sipped slowly.

"...I...I'm sorry for the trouble we caused!" Riu bowed down, and hid her face.

"Psh. I'm glad you scared my troops. They needed a kick in the ass to get moving anyhow." She nodded to Rhiem, who was tied up in a corner. He was gagged and strung up so many times he looked rather like a moth in a cacoon.

"And don't worry. I'm sure you had a legitimate reason to hold two of my guards hostage, seize control of my armory, and taser my second-in command. But until then, you can stay tied up there."  
"(mmmfff)"

The Chief returned attention to Riu.

"Now hurry up."  
"...I was on the run from Rubine Forces. And he, Rhiem, helped me. More than I could ever repay."  
"You would be suprised how easy it is to 'payback' men...him in particular. I assume you pursue refuge here, in Ootya?"  
"Y-yes...I will work for my stay, I'll do anything you ask."  
"I'm not concerned with that" The Chief waved a dimunitive hand in dismissal. "I can tell a person's character. You'll work, no doubt. What I want to know...is what to do with ...Him."

"H-He said he will return to the Rubine Firebase."

"Ha! You believe that?" The Chief glanced back at Rhiem. His eyes narrowed in frustration at this brat...struggling, Rhiem twisted around, trying to free his bonds. Chief turned her head back.  
"No...If he helped you, nothing awaits him back there. So the next thing you'll ask is if he can stay here?"

"..."  
"No. He's not staying here."  
"Wha?"  
"He's a stupid brat. Even if I put him to work, it would be done half-assed, and with reluctance. You would be the only thing keeping him here, and eventually his concern for you would turn to hatred. The doubts of helping you in the first place would creep into his mind until it turned malignant, and then he would lash out at you. You would then seperate, and die hollow lives from then on."

The Chief seemed to darken at her own prophecy.

"I'll going to do something else with you two." She stood up, and cricked her knuckles.  
"What...what are you going to do?"

...

"He can join our hunters."  
"H-Hunters?"  
"You know why every one of our guard is pathetic? It's because anyone worth anything at fighting has joined our specialty mercenaries. The Hunters." The Chief poured some more tea, and then kicked back on the mat she was on.  
"Hunters are paid by assignment from our Guild Hall. They make good money...if they can survive."  
"Is it really alright for him to do such a dangerous thing?"  
"This stupid brat is good enough. He took apart my entire town guard, let's see how he does against those ravaging machines."

...

"But wait..."  
"Hm?"  
"What does that have to do with Rhiem staying here?"

The Chief cracked an evil smile.  
"Because stupid brats..." She looped a length of rope around Rhiem's neck. "Sleep outside city limits!" She dragged Rhiem outside. "Make yourself at home. Not like I have much of one."

_Thunk! _

"(mmmmfff!)"  
Rhiem's head had collided with a rock.  
"Oops. Watch your head."  
"(mmmfffhhhuukkk yooouuuuu)"

_Thunk!_

...

"Hm! Heheh, Hahaha!" Riu laughed out loud, and clear.

It felt good... she had not laughed before in her life, but it felt really, really good. She kept on laughing, and laughing until tears came out. She crouched down, and held her sides. Tears flew freely now.

Soon, these tears of laughter mixed with tears of joy. She slumped down, and covered her face.

She...Riu...She had a home...

* * *

Chapter 6

Rhiem strode through the field of tents that made up the community of Ootya. It was just row after row of dusty, dated tents. Row after row, cluster after cluster, block after block, a sea of tents rose to his view. Some large, some small, some long and some fancy. There were some tents that looked as if the only thing keeping them up was duct tape and prayers, yet they stood against harsh winds every day.

He glanced down at the directions the Chief had given him. Scribbles were drawn on a piece of parchment,

"Make a right at the bush that looks like a bunny rabbit with a carrot on his back, climb over the rock that is shaped like a slide. Turn left at the big tent with the seagull that always pecks the girl from the Romda family and take another left at the tent with the patch on it. After that tent, count one-hundred and twenty dog tails to your next right, where you will see our Guild."

He looked up.

"What the HELL kind of directions are these!" He tossed them in the dirt, and ground it with his foot.

He strode up to the nearest tent. Ducking inside, he knocked on a wooden support.  
"Excuse me, where can I find the Guild?" A loud clanging could be heard, and a few frightened cries. Rhiem glanced in. A mother was hiding her two children's faces in her dirty apron. She looked up fearfully, and mumbled and pointed to her left. She then gripped her kids tight, and looked away.

Rhiem exited the tent, and walked down the corridor of tents slowly.

_These people…although they don't know me…they know my uniform._

He slowly made his way to where the women had pointed him to.  
A large building, made of scraps and cloth, was erected at the very center of the settlement. It stretched like a pyramid across the barren sky. The very building carried an air of intimidation, what with iron spikes stretching out of the ground, holding the entire building up.

Rhiem pushed through the iron door. He stepped in, chest out, eyes open.

Inside was surprisingly light. Torches lit the walls every few feet, illuminating the round, central hall. Tables made of rough, dark stone were set up every few yards. Each table was filled with thugs, warriors, and soldiers. Each one of them had more scars and piercing than the last, each one more and more intimidating than the last. Dozens of rough, scary faces turned to face Rhiem. Some glared, some growled, but most were silently focused on the Rubine Soldier that had just stridden in.

Rhiem strode in, not scared in the least. Here he felt more in place. Here were fighters.

As Rhiem passed their table, a group of particularly rough-looking men all stood up, looking angry. The leader, a stocky man with a small Mohawk and scars covering his arms, walked right into Rhiem's face. He bared his teeth.  
"Rubine scum. What do you think you're doing here, weakling? I thought your fancy barracks and clean cloths were what made you dogs superior to us."

Rhiem calmly stared back at the man, returning his challenge.  
"The weakest bark the loudest. Is that what you are, you strutting peacock?"

Both drew their weapons. The man pulled a shotgun from his back, pointing the wide barrel straight at Rhiem's face. His scarred face grew a cracked smile.  
"Well, Rubine Aristocrat? Not so tough, are you?"  
Rhiem imitated his cracked smile. The man glanced down, and saw the slim barrel of Rhiem's Battle Rifle poking from under his torn, ragged armor.  
"What?" He clenched his teeth. Violently, he pulled the shotgun back. Turning full circle, a knife came out of nowhere. "You bitc-"

A mechanical, prosthetic hand grabbed the knife, and pulled it out of the man's grip. A large, scarred and old hunter had appeared behind the one with the Mohawk.  
"Don't lose your temper, Gona. Have a seat." The seven-foot tall hunter easily pushed the smaller, younger Gona back onto his seat.  
The old hunter looked at Rhiem. Rhiem noticed that all of the hunter's limbs seemed to be made of some metal prosthetic.  
"Young man, you should know better than to come into here, wearing that uniform."

Rhiem fixed the battered collar on his combat jacket.  
"I'll wear whatever I want here, until someone can prove me wrong." He smirked at Gona, who murderously glared back at him.

"It should be obvious that you won't be able to stay long here. What is your purpose here?"  
Rhiem pulled a slip out of his pocket.  
"I need to find this man: 'An old geezer with glasses larger than beer mugs and limbs thinner than chopsticks.'" He flicked the paper in his middle and index fingers. "Know him?"

"Sakami must have written that slip, for only she would disrespect our treasured weapon smith with that poor description."

"Sakami?"  
"You shall find Master Vulcan in his forge, at the back of our Guild." As he left, the old, scarred hunter looked back one last time. "Do your business quickly, young one. I cannot guarantee your safety with my incensed comrades at my side."  
Rhiem then became very aware of the fifty-plus hunters that were fingering their weapons at this newcomer.  
"Che. Nice welcome party."


	5. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Rhiem took each step up the winding staircase two at a time. The metal steps clanged loudly as he ascended up a thin, rusting spiral staircase that shot up from the center of the Guild, and shot into the low cloud cover.

What kind of eccentric has a forge on the way up here?!?

Step after step, flight after flight, Rhiem climbed higher and higher into the clouds. The winds swirled and stirred the white fog, soon enveloping and surrounding Rhiem with its suffocating presence. He climbed for what seemed like at least a half hour. Then, abruptly, the stairway ended, leaving only empty space. Rhiem glanced up, and saw a small ladder, seemingly suspended in the heavy fog.

He leaped up, and grabbed the first step with both hands. Powerful muscles working, Rhiem dragged the rest of his body onto the ladder. Only another pull and Rhiem flopped onto a grated platform.

He glanced around, and noticed there was a continual clanging sound, smashing through the silence of the heights like a sledgehammer. Rhiem ducked into a walkway, and made his way to the repetitive sound. Without warning, the clouds had cleared. Rhiem could see for at least 50 feet, that a huge swath of clouds was seemingly pushed to the sides in the shape of a heavenly arena. Rhiem spotted a large column of flame, erupting from a large pipeline that extended down past the platform. The flames were white-hot, charring the grating around it coal-black.

Rhiem slowly approached the inferno. The sound of clanging seemed to be coming from there.  
"Hello? Anyone here?"

The clanging stopped.

A hand, a solitary, protected hand covered in leather, burst from the flames.  
A leg.  
A hammer  
A boot.

A welding mask seemed to float from the flames, and pulled with it, a huge body fully covered in a charred welding suit. It noticed Rhiem, then mechanically, started walking towards him.  
Rhiem could feel the hairs on his back prickle up in fear. He raised his Battle Rifle, and fearfully pointed it at the approaching man.

"Stop! Don't take another step!"  
The suit seemed to hesitate for a second, then continued. Rhiem knew that if that suit was bulletproof, then that could buy the man time to stroll up to him, and finish him with that enormous hammer in the man's hand.

"Halt!"  
He did not.

Rhiem pulled the trigger, sending the Battle Rifle's triple burst of bullets slamming into the man's gullet. He stumbled for a second, and then continued. Rhiem pulled the trigger again and again. More and more bullets slammed into the still-approaching man. Holes carved into the body, yet he did not stop.

The last of Rhiem's bullet casing clinked onto the grating. Rhiem drew his Tomahawk, and charged the man.

The Tomahawk hissed through the air, and struck itself a half-inch into the suit. The edge cut through the leather of the suit easily, but stopped at solid metal. Rhiem was about to pull the axe out, when the arm of the man shot out, and gripped the axe tight. Rhiem struck the hand in an effort to break his grip, but the base of his hand smashed into the arm of the fearful man like a water balloon onto stone.

Rhiem recoiled, leaving his tomahawk in the grip of the Juggernaut. The Juggernaut reached out, and snatched the Battle Rifle from Rhiem's hands like candy from a baby. The Juggernaut reached out with a huge fist, and punched Rhiem square in the chest. Rhiem flew several yards, skidding and bouncing on the grated platform. The Juggernaut was on him in a flash, and was about to deliver the finishing blow…

"Rhodes! Stop right this instant!" The Juggernaut froze his fist in mid-air, and then got up, and stood at attention.

Rhiem turned his head as far it would go. An old man, barely three feet tall, stood at the very top of the platform.  
"Rhodes, go to sleep."

The Juggernaut fell like a puppet with its strings cut.  
"So you're Vulcan?"  
"…Yes."  
The old man spread his arms. "At your service."

* * *

The two were seated at a a small, round table, where a small set of drinks were set up.

"So you were sent by Sakami…"  
"Who?"  
"She sends all hunters through my forge, as a rite of initiation."

Master Vulcan sipped the last drips of his tea. He motioned for the Juggernaut to pour some more tea. The huge robot walked over, and delicately poured some root tea into the dinky silverwares that were set up on a crate.

"I must apologize for Rhodes' behavior. He is not too used to strangers." Rhiem glanced at the arm of the robotic manservant. The same power used to knock him about like a rag doll now held a fragile teapot in its grip.

"Now, let's get straight to the point. You were sent here for a tune-up, were you not?"  
"Tune-up?"  
"Ah. I apologize. You Rubines don't fiddle around with your guns too much, do you?"  
"You mess with the workings too much, it breaks, right?"  
"Not true! Breaking is dissimilar to improving! May I see your weapon?"

Rhiem hesitated for a second, and then relinquished his Battle Rifle. Master Vulcan held the firearm like it was a baby.  
"Ah…the quality of Rubine guns is unequaled! A pity your mechanics are not brave enough to make some improvements!"  
Master's Vulcan's hands skittled across the smooth, black surface that made up the Battle Rifle.

"Give me two minutes. I shall unlock this weapon's true potential!" Vulcan took the Rifle, and disappeared behind a series of metal screens.  
"Hey wait! That's mine!"

Rhiem dashed into the open space that made up Vulcan's workshop. Tools were neatly organized by size, in a huge line of items lined up on a series of tables. Vulcan was on a small, circular work desk. Already Rhiem's gun was taken apart into dozens of different pieces.

Around Vulcan were series of gears, pistons, barrels, and various other mechanics that Rhiem could not identify.

Vulcan had attached some receiving pressurizes onto a set feed that had previously been a casing release. Vulcan held up a rust colored gear.  
"Hm…Heart of Wrath…should work."  
"Old man…is that a Soul Gear?!?"  
Vulcan turned to fix Rhiem with his deep eyes. Large blue pupils, expanded by the large glasses.

"Indeed it is. Materials from Wyvoids can be used to improve weapons that we use against them."  
"…I…never heard of such a thing!"  
Of course. The strength of Rubina comes from its consistency. Improving weapons haphazardly would bring ruin onto your infrastructure. But for us who never had such a structure…it makes sense to make do with what we have."

Vulcan had finished. The Battle Rifle had been transformed. The barrel was cut off, and replaced with a fatter, longer barrel. The casing release was replaced with a continually moving gear that seemed to give the gun a certain power it had not had before. The stock had been removed, replaced with a small battering ram.

"Tune-up complete! Your weapon is now tuned-up from a 'Battle Rifle' to a 'Combat Rifle'" Master Vulcan wiped the edge of the side. "The firepower, and ammo capacity has been increased. Furthermore, the stock now doubles as a close range hammer."

Rhiem gripped the new handle, mouth open. It felt like an extension of his very body.

"Try it out on Rhodes." Rhiem glanced at the Juggernaut, who dropped into a ready stance.

KAM

A single shot seemed to shoot out from his hand and strike his target. A hole the size of a fist punched into the Juggernaut, who was knocked back. Rhodes slammed into the outside fence. Rhiem quickly followed up with a swift stock-strike to the gullet, and then chin, and then he turned full circle into a slamming strike at the side of Rhodes' head.

If this had been an enemy, he would have been killed four times in less than two seconds.

"Good?"  
"It's…amazing." So this was where the Fringe Hunters drew their strength from. The balance of toughness and technology.

"Good. Now, if you excuse me, I have experiments to run. Rhodes, let's go." Rhodes, even after being abused like that in the last minute, got up from a gaping gunshot and three hammer strikes like nothing was wrong.

"…Jeez"

* * *

Ootya Gate

Rhiem had gotten up early in the morning. Today was his first hunt. He would travel to the battlefield of the Apal Cliffs to help hunters invade an Archeries Fortress that was terrorizing their area. It would be several weeks before he could get back.

He looked back at the peaceful village. Here, Riu would be safe…  
"Rhiem!" Riu had come running from behind a tent. She was carrying a heavy bag.

"Riu! What are you-?"  
"I…I'm coming with you!"

Donk.  
"Ow…"  
"Don't be stupid! After all this, you want to worry me even more! Forget it!"

Riu shook her head hard.  
"You've always been there for me. Always sacrificing for my sake…" She clutched her hand to her chest. "I want to be there for you too! Let me help you for once!"

"Riu…"

"Besides, can you even cook?"  
…ugh!  
Rhiem slipped on the precipitate of his own idiocy.  
"Well…I would just eat whatever I brought with me."

"You'd live on a single packet of jerky for five weeks?" Riu smiled. "You need me, you fool. Say so."  
Rhiem ran his hand through his hair.  
"Riu…thanks. Thanks for being here."

"Aw…isn't this sweet?" The Chief had come to the gate. "Well, hurry up. You're blocking traffic."  
Rhiem was irked.  
"Hey! Don't you have work to do as chief or something?"  
"Quiet, brat. I wanted to have a word with Riu, not the likes of you." The Chief turned to Riu. "You really want to do this?"

"Yes…"  
"It's not gonna be fun."  
"I know."  
The Chief seemed to recoil a bit.  
"Well, just remember, there's a place back here for you." The Chief started back to her tent. About fifty feet on, she stopped. "Looks like I needed the company after all. Now hurry the hell up and leave."

Rhiem had started down to the trail, trail bag over his shoulder. Riu lingered for a moment, and then turned and called to the Settlement.  
"Just wait! I will be back! I promise!"

And so, the newest of their destinies was beginning to unfold.


	6. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Rhiem stirred in the morning glory. He zipped his sleeping bag a bit down, and sat up, basking in the morning sun. The sun was an orange disk, barely cutting through the heavy dust in the air.  
He poked Riu's bag.  
The bag stirred a bit, and Riu's head soon came out the end.  
"Rhiem? Is it morning?" She rubbed her eyes a bit, and sat up.

"Yeah. C'mon, it's a long way to the Apal Settlement." Rhiem slid out of his sleeping bag, and clambered up some rubble to get a better view. The huge, empty Ghost City of Vurms spread all before him. Just at the horizon, were the Apal Cliffs. They stood foreboding, like a prison wall. Rhiem stuffed his sleeping bag into his pack, and started down the crumbling slope…

***************

City Boundary: Vurms

Rhiem and Riu reached the boundary of the once thriving city of Vurms. The Flames of War had wiped the city out.

Rhiem pushed the rusted gate, finding the device to float forwards without a hitch. A single step into the gate, and his Radio crackled to life.

"Hello? Who is this?"  
"That's my question. What are hunters doing in MY city?" The voice seemed to wheeze a bit.  
"This is my territory. You will turn back immediately."

"Your city? Who is this?"  
"…You can call me O'Connell"  
"Well O'Connell, you can claim this city for yourself, that's fine. Us two need to pass through, so you can just jack off"  
"Ha-hee-heh!" The Wheezing cough emanated even through the radio. "Lies! Spies! Ha! You won't make it through my stronghold alive!"  
The radio went dead.

Riu pulled up by Rhiem. "Who was that? What does he mean by 'my city?' Could this O'Connell have troops?"  
Rhiem gripped the Radio tight, and noticed his feet. One foot was in, one was out…  
He leaned forwards, and slammed his outside foot into the boundary of Vurms. The clap of a boot against asphalt echoed into the empty city.  
Looking around, Rhiem then stuck both fingers high into the air.  
"See this, O'Connell? Suck it!"

A horrid face, illuminated by the glow of a CTV screen, grit its teeth. He slammed his fist against the table. With the other hand, he flipped the first switch.

Rhiem turned to Riu. "Don't worry. We'll show him what-for, and charge right through his so called city."

A shadow, small and imperceptible, erupted from a nearby dumpster. It shot out, and raced to Rhiem. He only managed to turn his head before it was on him. The shadow hit him, and lifted him off his feet.  
"Ugh!" A gash formed onto Rhiem's shoulder. He stumbled backwards, as if he was shot with an arrow.

The shadow lingered for a second, and then shot into a darkened alleyway.  
"Rhiem! What's wrong?" Riu started to Rhiem.  
"Stay back!" Rhiem waved Riu back.

The shadow came from the alleyway again. It shot at Rhiem a second time. But he was ready. Rhiem stepped back, and struck the racing shadow in the face with the battering ram. The shadow tumbled sideways, and skidded onto the followed up swiftly with a tomahawk, which pierced the thing in the neck. It warbled softly, and then died. It was a V-Prey…but the entire model was changed. The mechanics were more streamlined, the edges sharper, and the model was colored a hued black.

_The V-Prey Version G.  
_  
It's speed was unbelievable. There was no way to hit something that fast.  
Rhiem popped open a first aid spray, and quickly covered up his wound.  
"Riu, let's move."

***************

Inner City

Rhiem silently pushed open the door. He brought his gun up quickly, and canvassed the room. It was empty. He motioned for Riu to come. Riu slipped in, with Rhiem taking up the rear, never lowering his Combat Rifle. They came into an abandoned garage. Old, converted cars loomed ominously in the prevalent darkness.

Rhiem quickly got to the garage door switch. He flipped open the cover, and almost pressed the green button.

Then, a dark wind passed through him.  
"Hey Rhiem! I got it going!" Riu had managed to jump-start the double-decker.

Rhiem glanced into the door they came from. It was open.  
He had closed that door behind him.

"Rhiem?"  
"Riu! Start the engine!"  
"Mm!"  
Rhiem slammed the green button. Slowly, a crack of light at his feet grew bigger. Rhiem raced over to the double-decker, where Riu sat at the helm. Rhiem pulled himself in, and got by Riu.  
"Don't wait! Gun it!"  
The Double-Decker lurched forwards, and smashed the garage door. Behind him, Rhiem could hear breaking glass. He twisted around, and shot blindly behind him.

A ghost dodged the shot, and leaped off the end of the bus. It landed, and then squawked for reinforcements.  
Immediately, twelve other V-Prey Gs came out of nowhere. They took out, zipping after the bus. Rhiem sprinted to the top, readying his Combat Rifle.

He crouched, and took aim at the first V-Prey G.  
The sounding shot punched through the machine like it was paper. The mass then split, criss-cross.

"Shit!" Rhiem turned and barely managed to catch another V-Prey G in mid-flight.  
"Rhiem! I can't control it!" Rhiem glanced down, and saw a V-Prey G latching onto the back left wheel, slowing and shredding it.

He raised his Rifle, and blew it to smithereens. It was too late. The tire burst, and Riu lost control.  
She slammed into a debilitated factory. The double-decker slid, and crashed into the heart of the building.  
"Riu! Are you alright?"  
Riu, coughing, rose from the wreakage.  
"Y-yes. I'm sorry…" She stopped short at the sight of advancing V-prey Gs.

Rhiem spread his arms, and put himself between Riu and the beast. What could he do? In a matter of moments, they would strike, reducing he and Riu to ribbons.  
Rhiem bumped into a canister.  
He noted the label…liquid nitrogen.

Rhiem, thinking quick, kicked the canister at the advancing machines. It bounced once, and scattered the advancing V-Prey Gs. He raised his rifle, and blew the canister open.

The icy liquid exploded all over the place, coating the room with nitrogen. The V-Prey Gs were frozen solid. One of them wrestled against it's own frosting joints, before crackling to a stop.  
Rhiem systematically blew each one to bits.  
_KAM, KAM, KAM!_

Icy pieces tumbled to the floor.

He sighed with relief, and leaned against a desk.  
"You alright, Riu?"  
"You're cut! Think more about yourself-"

The dark wind passed over Rhiem again.  
Rhiem turned his head to the door.

A huge V-prey G stood in the gaping hole left by the double-decker. A large orange crest denoted it as Leader.

_V-Drome G._

It let loose a roar, and leaped at Rhiem. The size slowed it, but it still leaped with impossible speed. Rhiem knocked Riu down, just before the V-Drome G crushed the wall behind them with powerful claws.  
"Riu! Deeper in! We need to lose it!"  
The two dashed into the assembly line.

Inside, airplanes stood halfway manufactured. Bullet casings littered the floor, and extremely old bloodstains coated the walls. They were only bones left from wars before.

Rhiem spotted more of the Nitro Canisters he used before. He kicked one into the doorway, and with a gunshot, froze the doorway.  
"That should keep it back for a while."

The Radio crackled to life again.  
"O'Connell! Is this your doing!?!"  
"Heh, heh. I see you've met my cute pet, Verdugo. He shall play with you for a bit, but you cannot keep him away forever."  
"How are you sending Wyvoids after us? Are you an Archeries?"

"Ha-ha-ha! Archeries? I wish! You shall never take my secret, for the dead never act. I wish you the best, hunter. In the next life, wait for a bit. I'll be back to kill you there, too."

"O'CONNELL!"

_-Bzzt-_ The radio died.

***************


	7. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Every shadow was a demon. Every breath of wind; a possible attack.

Rhiem crawled slowly through the lengthy aircraft manufactory. He was slowly growing paranoid with fear. Any second, the V-Drome G, Verdugo, could smash through a glass window, or leap out of a supposedly empty crate. It was nerve-wracking…  
If I make it out of this alive, He thought, I'll be sure to get shell-shock.

Riu was observing Rhiem's mental breakdown with increasing worry. She worried about Rhiem, about that Verdugo, about O'Connell, who was tormenting the two like this.  
Most of all, she worried because she could do nothing to help.

It was the next morning. Rhiem had camped under a small, unfinished airplane, turning fitfully in his sleep, and dreaming of vicious monsters that swallowed men whole. Riu had gotten up earlier, and reached over to shake Rhiem awake.

"Rhiem?" Her hand brushed his still, motionless figure, for a second.

"Ahh!" Riu screamed in shock and pain.

His hand shot out, and latched onto Riu's arm in a death grip. "Ugh!" Riu struggled to break his grip, but it was like iron!  
She looked into his eyes. Sleeping, crazed eyes that shone nothing but fear. They went blank for a moment, and he collapsed again.

Rhiem woke sometime later. He felt…better?  
"Riu? You up?"

Riu was packing her gear across the empty hallway.  
"Yeah…I am. Let's get ready."

She hid her face so he could not see the streaks on her face.

It was at the end of the factory, the scrap yard. In the center, was a tunnel that ramped down into the ground. A cart, used for transporting scraps, ran along the underground of the city, and sent materials to the landfills. Rhiem took a look at the map; the route seemed to run alongside the Apal Cliffs, to dump whatever it's cargo was into a landfill. The cart was almost thirty meters wide, and a hundred meters long. It was designed to cart huge amounts of scrap metals to the Landfill.  
A large lever at the front controlled direction whenever a split in the tracks came up.

Rhiem distantly heard the roar of something breaking through a wall, perhaps miles and miles away.

He redoubled his efforts.

An hour later, the cart was ready. He set it to travel five miles, and then stop right before the Apal Cliffs Dump Site.  
"Riu? Get into the cart. Let's go."  
"Right."  
She pulled herself onto the compartment, and gave a thumbs up.

Rhiem yanked on the start up. The Cart started rolling slowly forwards. Rhiem went dashing down the scrap yard as fast as he could, trying to get to the cart before it left for its destination.

Riu stretched her hand out on the rapidly accelerating vehicle, for Rhiem's hand. He reached his hand out too.  
The cold iron grip of Rhiem that morning shook her mind.  
She pushed him away, for a second.

It seemed like an electric jolt went down her back, and she hastily grabbed Rhiem's arm. Rhiem got on, and glanced back.

A lone, solitary figure stood at the opening of the tunnel, a dark sentinel against a wall of light.

"RAWK!" Verdugo was on again on the hunt.

Rhiem raised his Combat Rifle with fear. He took a blind shot, hoping for a lucky shot. The shot blew open nothing but concrete. He took more and more shots at the zigzagging beast. Holes littered the retreating opening, yet none of them lay on Verdugo.  
Verdugo shot into the tunnel, and soon it was illuminated by spotty, century old yellowed lights that flickered as they struggled to stay alive.  
Orange eyes shone in golden light. Then, Rhiem saw the flash of its Soul Gear.

Then, it was ahead of them. Rhiem couldn't understand it…how was it that fast?…  
Why was the world spinning?  
Where was Riu?…

He coughed up blood. With blurred vision, he saw Riu similarly collapsed ahead of him.

The Soul Pulse of V-Drome Gs was the invincible Sonic Boom. Momentary power similar to adrenaline sucked all the V-Drome's Power into speed. The speed was so powerful, that it enabled the V-Drome G to extend the speed of sound for a split second.

The resounding shockwave struck everything behind it.

The world swirling, Rhiem struggled to pull himself up. Gripping the side, he aimed his Combat Rifle up ahead; not at Verdugo, but an easier to hit target. A the lever at the front of the car.

KAM! The lever swung, and a clanking could be heard at the bottom of the cart. Mere moments later, the split in the tracks came up. Verdugo got pushed to the left-hand side, while Rhiem and Riu were off to the right hand tracks.

Only a barred wall kept Verdugo away from company. It growled, whilst still keeping up with the cart. It raked it's claws onto the bars, trying to fight its way in. Rhiem gave a small smile, before collapsing.  
Verdugo took another rake, but got nowhere. It snapped in frustration, and focused ahead.  
Lights were directly ahead of it.

Rhiem had beforehand activated the second cart, which was inbound, from the dumpsite.  
It roared, before being crushed to thousands of pieces by the enormous cart. Slowly, the roar grew low and lower in pitch as it's essential components were pushed along miles and miles of track.

Slowly, this roar turned to a growl,

which turned to a warble,

and then nothing.

***

The horrid face observed the destruction of one of his two favorite pets through a closed circuit television. The figure grit his teeth, and slammed the screen in a furious rage.  
"RAHH!" Fist slammed into the table, again, and again, until the table collapsed under the barrage. It was made of steel.

O'Connell's other pet, Venondite, walked in to see what the fuss was about. Venondite was a pure white V-Drome G, who was the twin of the late Verdugo. It scanned it's master, and found increased levels of adrenaline, stress, and anger.  
"Rawwwk?"

O'Connell stared at Venondite, and then at his own arm. He smiled a grim smile.  
The mine cart rolled slowly into the docking bay. Rhiem pulled himself up, slowly. He wiped dried blood from the corners of his mouth, and shook his head a bit. He had a splitting headache.  
Tapping his chest, he checked for broken ribs. After a minute, he was satisfied, and shook Riu a bit.  
"Riu? You okay?"  
"mm-hm. Just a little woozy…"

Rhiem grabbed her under her arms, and lifted her up. She had to steady herself for a second, but seemed alright.  
"Let's go, Rhiem."

Rhiem stepped onto the platform, gun raised. He searched through the entire structure before stepping towards a solitary, metal door affixed into the stone wall.  
Gun in one hand, hand on the doorknob, he opened it slowly.

Shk! Rhiem burst in, and scanned the room. The underground scrap yard. Nearly a square mile of scrap metals from various machines and tools wound up in here. Decades of disuse rendered entire monoliths of scraps unstable, wrought with rust, age and weakness. Rhiem spied a balcony that ran the perimeter of the scrap yard. It rose several dozens of feet above even the tallest scrap pile.  
"Riu! Go along the walkway! I'll secure the yard.  
"Mm!"

Riu hurried up the ladder that led up the balcony. Rhiem watched her until she was out of sight.  
Now she was safe.  
Now began his work.

Rhiem proceeded down the scrap yard, securing the area one giant pile of trash at a time. Every now and then, he saw shadows that flickered in and out of his vision, but there was nothing when he focused on them.  
A figure rose on the highest scrap heap, at the center of the scrap yard.

He was dressed in a ragged cloak. The hair was dressed into a shaggy mane, with an aged face that spoke horror with every breath. Gripped in his hand was a huge Anti-Tank Rifle, dated several decades ago.

Fresh blood dripped from under his cloak.

"O'Connell"  
"So…We meet finally, hunter. *Hack* *Hack*"  
Rhiem looked up at the heavily breathing figure.  
"So you…You're O'Connell. You're the one who brought violence to Riu"  
"Ha-Hah-Hah…*hack* Did…did you learn how to be so clever in your fancy schools? Or your idealistic cities? Even though they were built on the bones and blood and flesh of your dear comrades?"

"Fool! You're speaking nonsense!"  
Oh? Am I, Rubinian? We shall learn soon enough."

The Anti Tank Rifle rose, with only one hand gripping it. Rhiem swore in amazement and fear. How was this possible! That Rifle weighed at least sixty pounds!  
"Die…Hunter." The figure vanished. Rhiem, caught off guard, spun around, searching for O'Connell.

He was above him. Rhiem gazed up into the barrel of the huge Rifle.  
-_BOOM-__  
_  
The force of the shot was more like an explosion than a bullet. The ground exploded where Rhiem's leg was an instant earlier.  
Rhiem pulled back, and returned fire at the flying figure above him. He vanished again.

Rhiem spun and shot with his gun.

He was in back.

Rhiem swung his chain, trying to catch O'Connell.

He flew far above.

Rhiem took severals shots at the soaring figure.

He dodged in mid-air, and blew up the ground around Rhiem with his Anti-Tank rifle.

Rhiem started swinging wildly with his Tomahawk, searching for the inhuman human.  
"Ha! You expect to beat me with such pathetic moves! You'll never beat me if you had a hundred lives and a hundred years!"  
Rhiem stopped for a moment, and then glanced down. Blood started seeping from every part of his body.  
"Gah!" Rhiem slunk to floor, and tried to slow his blood loss.

O'Connell started pacing ten throws away from Rhiem.  
"Do you understand now, hunter? I am God here. To defy me if to gain a slow and painful death…"

* * *

Riu looked upon the one-sided beating with fear. She frantically searched for something to help Rhiem! Riu ran from the walkway and into a dusted old corridor. She dashed down, and stop at a dead end. She was about to turn around, when the floor gave way.  
She fell into an old ventilation shaft, and slipped into the room below.

Two V-Preys were on station in that room. They noticed their new guest, and proceeded to welcome her.

Riu recoiled in fear at the sight of the two V-preys. They were advancing slowly, warily. Riu ran down the strangely clean room to escape, gritting her teeth in frustration. These were the weakest of the weak, and she still needed Rhiem to protect her!

She stopped.  
Her fists balled up.

"Not this time…" She grabbed a lead pipe, and swung at her attacker!  
"NOT THIS TIME!"

The lead pipe glanced off of the V-Prey, which pushed it backwards. She swung and swung and swung until her arms were tired. She swung until she was sure she had done something  
No effect.

It opened its jaws wide, and growled.  
"Yah!" She pushed it back and ran into the next room, and ran up against the wall in fear. It was then she noticed her surroundings. A research lab.  
A weapons research facility.  
The two V-Preys then burst in, growling.  
Riu backed up, and grabbed the first weapon she could find, locked away in a capsule that was marked: AG saber.

To her dismay, it turned out to be nothing more than a sharpened instrument tool that had been placed onto a throne.  
The length of two feet, with a ridiculously thin blade that mismatched the otherwise teched-out but ordinary handle.  
"Damn!"

Riu pressed a button on the handle, which started a whirring in the blade. She swung hopelessly at the first V-Prey.

It never connected.


	8. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

She missed.

"Wha--?"

She…she swung short.  
If robots could smirk, the V-Prey would've, as it leapt towards Riu. She saw the glint of the razor-sharp claws screeching out of their sheaths, and she raised her arms to shield herself…  
The top half of the V-Prey smacked her in the face. The bottom half clattered against the table, falling in pieces. It warbled in surprise, and lay on the floor, slowly whirring to a stop. It's comrade squawked in confusion, and tried to bite Riu. The head toppled to the floor. The decapitated body stood there, with no commands, and just fell over.

Riu stared in surprise. All around, parts of the mechas lay scattered across the room. She glanced down in front of her.  
Right where she swung, there was an almost invisible shimmer; an arc that let a similar hum as the thing she had in her hand…  
She glanced down at the weapon.  
"AG saber…what could it mean?"

She pressed a second, red button on the handle. The shimmer seemed to zip back into the blade, and the humming returned.  
Twirling the AG Saber, she swung a cross hatch in front of her, forming a grid of shimmers, almost imperceptible.  
One toss of the lead pipe she had, and it was enough proof that this was a weapon.

She left the room; on the ground lay scattered, a dozen pieces of lead pipe.

Rhiem rolled off to the side. The ground tore itself up again, right where he was a second ago. O'Connell's aim was getting better. He tried to lay suppressive fire, but he disappeared again.  
"Shit!" Rhiem drew his Tomahawk, and stared out at his horizons. The environment was almost perfect for his enemy! There was nothing he could do!

Rhiem lay against the scrap pile, resting for a short bit.  
He hoped Riu managed to get away.

A hole blew itself into the car he hid behind, reminding him to move.

* * *

Riu hit the walkway handhold hard, and vaulted over the edge. She fell some dozen feet onto a scrap pile that was right below her.  
"Ah!" She hit the top of the trash hard, and rolled down the slope.  
She just managed to grip the edge right before she landed onto a pile of broken bottles.  
Gunshots rang out across the scrap yard.

"Rhiem…" She hurried to the fight.

* * *

Rhiem lay against yet another hiding place…he couldn't hold him off for much longer. But he had to fight, to buy as much time for Riu as possible. If he wasn't going to see her again…

Then, he saw a flash of silver coming towards him…Riu!  
He yelled out, swinging his free hand: "Riu! What are you doing here! Run!"

Riu rushed over to Rhiem, and knocked him on the head.  
"I'm here to help! Just trust me!"  
"He's too fast! There's no way!"  
Riu drew her AG Saber.

"One way."  
She pressed the button on the weapon, and a large humming burst forth from the blade. She drew a line from on end of the scrap pile to another.  
Hurrying over to the next chokepoint, she swung from one end to another.  
"What…Riu, what're you doing?"  
"Just trust me! Come on!"

O'Connell's raspy voice called out to them  
"Heh-Heh-Heh! Oi! Hunter! You enjoying your last moments with your girlfriend?"  
"O'Connell! I'll make sure to kill you!"  
"Hah! Don't worry; I'll take good care of your friend, good care indeed!"

Riu grit her teeth, and slashed yet another chokepoint.  
"Ignore him! Just cover me!"  
"Riu…"

Rhiem and Riu came to a dead end.  
"Over here." Riu let loose a huge amount of slashes in the middle of what would be a meadow, if the scrap piles were a forest.

Riu cupped her hands to her mouth. "O'Connell! If you want us, than come and get some!"

He answered her calling. "Heh-Heh-Heh! Given up, Missy? Smart move. Saves us all time." O'Connell raised the Anti Tank Rifle.  
Rhiem whispered to Riu.  
"He's not going to shoot me. He's going to appear right in front of me, again, and kill me with his bare hands."  
Rhiem's fingers twitched towards his Tomahawk.  
"He's sadistic like that."  
Riu shook her head, and pushed Rhiem's hand away from his Tomahawk.  
"No need for that. Just wait."

O'Connell's head cocked to the side, like an interested child.  
"Good bye…Hunter."

He appeared in front of Rhiem.  
Rhiem grabbed his Tomahawk, and almost swung at O'Connell, knowing he would just vanish away from his blade.  
Yet O'Connell did not budge.  
His eyes stared past Rhiem, showing a hint of surprise. Rhiem could see O'Connell's face, which was quite young, but covered with scars and spots.

"What…" O'Connell sunk to the ground. His face contoured in pain and rage "What…WHAT DID YOU DO?!?"  
Red slashes appeared all over O'Connell. Blood spurt forth, all around him, in a perfect hemisphere of gore.  
"RAGGGHHH!"

O'Connell turned into a blur, and Rhiem could see now…O'Connell wasn't vanishing-- he was just moving at incredible speeds!  
O'Connell charged off in retreat, blood flowed in a splatter of dots where his footsteps were.

"GAH!" O'Connell ran through another shimmer.

Riu smilied grimly.  
"One."

"Aggh!"  
"Two."

O'Connell charged from the top of a scrap pile, and leapt towards Riu. He swung his Anti Tank Rifle, intending to club Riu as hard as he could.  
Riu just raised the AG saber, and squeezed the recall button.  
All the traps she set, every invisible blade, shot back into the AG saber, through O'Connell.

"Ughh!…" O'Connell tumbled to the ground in a bloody heap. There was a horrid hole in the center of his stomach.

His cloak fell to the ground in pieces. Riu gasped slightly in horror; Rhiem just stared, gun ready.

Both legs were replaced with the Venondite's legs. Blood seeped from the unholy fusion, and trickled down the pure white raptor legs like gore upon snow. Upon O'Connell's Chest, was the Soul Gear of Venondite, affixed above his heart, replacing it. It pulsated with his heartbeat.

"You…you maggots…I'll kill you, and eat you, and crush your skulls into dust and feed it to the crows!"  
Riu raised her blade. The shimmering of air shone brightly on the blade of the AG saber.  
She cleanly shoved the saber into the center Soul Gear.

She pulled the blade out with a sickening splat.  
O'Connell swayed for a bit, and then hit the ground, hard. He lay on the ground, watching his life seep out of his wounds, waiting for death.

Riu shook her head slowly, and turned.  
"Rhiem…let's go."  
Rhiem nodded, and then went with her.

O'Connell shot up one last time, and was behind Rhiem in an instant. He drew a large blade and brought it crashing down.  
Rhiem saw the desperate, final look in O'Connell's eyes.  
Yet it never came.  
O'Connell's head exploded in a cloud of gore. Rhiem barely registered the ringing gunshot that had come from behind of O'Connell, as bits of brain and bone splattered both Rhiem and Riu. The headless body just fell forwards, finally still.

A hunched man in a hood, wearing a face mask, started laughing. A smoking magnum was in his right hand. His left hand was a rusty hook.  
"Watch your back, stranger. Ya won't be able to enjoy my services with a knife in yer neck."  
The Wandering Merchant had arrived.

* * *

The Merchant hobbled over to the headless body of O'Connell.  
"Hey…Ya gonna take keep this piece? I'll pay ya good for it."

Rhiem just stood there, covered in brain, blood and bone. Riu shook her blood speckled head. The Merchant smiled, and than clonked over the body. He stripped the body of the Soul Gear, and Venondite's Legs in less than a second. He pressed a couple thousand-zeni bills into Rhiem's stunned hands.

The paper felt incredibly heavy in Rhiem's hands. He's never seen that much money in his life.

"Wha?"  
"That's right! Haven't introduced meself; forgive my atrocious manners." The Merchant took off an imaginary hat, and bowed to the two. "I'm the Wandering Merchant. Nice ta meetcha."

Rhiem spotted a blood-crusted peg leg as the cloak lifted a bit up.  
"Why…why are you here…?"  
"I'm here 'cuz I heard someone might've killed O'Connell. Old Vulture was holding valuable, I knew it!"  
"…You just killed him."  
"Oh ya, ya I did." The Merchant finished packing Venondite's legs into his enormous, bottomless pack. "So, ya need a ride to the Apals?" Riu spoke with growing amazement.  
"How'd you know we were going there?"  
"…I know everything, missy, count on it…heheh."

* * *

The Land Ship, Shiloc

The two were on what seemed to be a gargantuan, moving ship-shaped half-track that caved the landscape like a pirate ship. Everyone was in the second floor of the Shiloc, where a waiting room was installed off the side. The Merchant was pouring tea in a delicate, dainty set that was chipped but expensive.  
Riu whispered to Rhiem  
"Where'd he get the machinery to build this battleship? A lot of these structures need at least Cranes to hold in place before they're secured."

The Merchant came with several bottles on a silver platter.

"Oh! Sorry. Ya take yer tea with sugar, or booze?"

The Merchant then sat down, and ignoring the tea, he consumed a small flask of alcohol on his hip.  
"So! Ya want ta buy anything? I go for the best price around!"

Rhiem shook his head.  
"I don't need anything. I'm fine with what I have." The Merchant smirked.  
"Oh yeah? I saw your battle. Ya didn't hit anything larger than a V-Prey with that over-sized stick of yours."  
Rhiem had no retort. His Combat Rifle did seem heavy during his fight with both the insanely fast Verdugo and O'Connell.

"Fine. I'll see your wares. Then we'll see."

* * *

The Armory

Rhiem had on gun muffs, and goggles.  
"Next!" He tossed away a stupid heavy .50 pistol.  
The Merchant sat with Riu, watching Rhiem's pile of rejected weapons grow larger and larger from behind a bullet-proof window.

They sat there, sipping tea from the same dainty set in the waiting room. In front of a wall of weapons. Riu sat, nervously eyeing the RDX placed haphazardly next to a set of old TNT. She resolved not to approach that certain with a lit match. Ever.  
Her eyes traveled up to magnums, submachine guns, shotguns, pistols, rifles, several varieties of RPGs, and a number of stun batons and crossbows all placed in a large gallery up on the wall.

"So, you two are hunters, eh?"  
"Um…yes!"  
The Merchant chuckled at her frankness.  
"So young…I see that that's your weapon on your hip?"

Riu took her AG saber our in response. The edge seemed to hum…  
"Heheh! A melee weapon! Haven't seen one of those in a while!"  
"Are…melee weapons that rare?"

"Tsh!" The Merchant snorted. "Of course. They died out with the fall of the CNM."  
"CNM?"  
"Oh. Yeah. You kids wouldn't have known about that, huh?" The Merchant closed his eyes, and folded his hand and hook "The CNM…it stood for the Confederate Nations of Minegarde. Old nation. Thousands of years old. But not anymore."  
"Not anymore? What do you mean?"  
"It's gone."  
"Gone."  
"Destroyed. By two new rising powers." The Merchant smirked a bit. "Rubina and Archeria."  
Riu recoiled in surprise.  
"What happened was that at that time, CNM had been reduced to a tiny, tiny nation. A small collection of ethnicities herded into a corner by its massive neighbors. Then, genocide struck the CNM. Rubina sent in a huge force, armed with the new weapon: the Gun."  
"Was the Gun really that powerful back then?"  
"Absolutely! The Gun could fire at thousands of times the rates of even the fastest bowguns, and each bullet, invisible with speed, could kill a ten-year veteran hunter, armed with the finest armor."

The Merchant looked to the ceiling. "Those poor beasts. It was a massacre. An utter massacre. Why Rubina sent in such overkill, or why they wanted to crush the CNM in the first place is unknown to most. Most people don't even know who or what the CNM was."

"Hey! I think I found the right one!" The Merchant stopped his story and then clonked over to the armory.

Riu sat alone, thinking.

_She…she was an Archeries…was she any different from Rhiem?_

Rhiem held clutched in his hand, an extremely odd gun. It seemed to be a pistol, a small jet-black pistol that had a huge stock thrice its size, and a fat short barrel. The stock was embroidered with elegant carvings and inlays. A small revolving chamber was set nicely under the fat barrel, looking like a work of art rather than a weapon. It shone like ink in the fluorescent light.

"Ah! An awesome choice, Stranger! That's a creation of my own! It's called the Fallen Tigress. Try it out."

Rhiem raised the Tigress to sight. He squeezed the trigger with deliberation at a concrete block.  
A small round, looking more like a dart than anything, soared out of the barrel, and then buried itself in the hard concrete. It made a small funnel of carved concrete, and spun in the spot. The round then exploded, and cracked the block in half.

"Its class is a Launcher Magnum. Like it?"  
"Yeah…"  
"Well good. You can trade that junk you have on your back for this beauty. Deal?" Rhiem took a long time looking at his Combat Rifle.

"Done."


	9. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Rhiem pushed his way through a throng of chatting hunters. The base camp of the Hunters, in the plains before the Apals Cliffs, was filled. Not comprised completely of hunters, either.  
There were scores of merchants, an entire tent full of pay-by stitch medics. Rhiem turned his head, and saw a whole bunch of women, likely the hunter's wives, strolling down the path and laughing about the scars their husbands had.

He shook his head. The whole damn thing was like a picnic to them.

Rhiem made his way to the central fire, where he was greeted with an intimidating sight—  
Two-hundred hunters, gathered, waiting. They were gathered in a huge circle, all in front of the huge bonfire built at the center.  
In front of the bonfire, a largely fat hunter dressed in a flak suit, was yelling out to his comrades, swinging a shotgun in fervor.

"We'll crush these machines! Bullets and bombs will cut these bastards down to size!"  
"YEAH!"  
"Spoils to the survivors! Glory to the winners! And the best of luck to you all!"

Rhiem stared blankly at the man.

He strode, up, in front of all the observing hunters.

The fat hunter turned to Rhiem.  
"Hey, it'll be your turn next, kid."

He rapped the hunter in the face with his knuckles. The force sent the fat hunter stumbling back.  
Rhiem turned to all the stunned hunters.  
"I need to know who your leader is--yet there's not a single person here who'll speak to me without slitting my purse. So, whom among you is your leader?"

All the men looked among themselves...some for their gun...

"I assume I am." The hunter who spoke up was almost seven feet tall, with his white, wizened hair tied back in a scraggly ponytail. Several of his limbs were prosthetic…

_The old veteran from Ootya!_

"Old man!"  
"Good to see that you're still making a commotion on our great, age-old traditions. Right now, you're interrupting war poetry."  
The crowd watched with impunity.

"Come to my tent."

The tent was nice and warm, with a small heater set up at the corner, next to a row of knives, set on a dirty rug that led out the door.  
The old hunter poured some wine into a clay cup. Rhiem took it gratefully, and sat himself on a wooden stool.  
"So. What the hell's up with the carnival?"  
"*sigh*…Us hunters do not have long lives. We bring our lives with us, and enjoy everyday we have."

"So, young one. How did you make your way here?"  
"I had to walk from Ootya. Through this crazy city, where this crack-head with a gun attacked me and Riu. And then that pirate-merchant guy came in and gave us a lift to here."  
The Veteran stopped drinking for a second. Slowly, he put it back down.  
"You went through Vurms?"  
"Um, yeah. Is that where it was called?"  
"…Vurms has been closed off as a red-zone. No one is permitted in there, for their own safety."  
"What, because of that O'Connell?"  
"...Exactly because of O'Connell. That man is dangerous. You should not have gone through there. You and the girl are lucky to be alive."  
"Huh! O'Connell wasn't so lucky then."  
"…you killed him?"  
"Actually, the Pirate-Merchant guy killed him. But what was so dangerous about O'Connell anyways?"

The Veteran gazed a bit into space for a bit.  
"O'Connell…he was a hero once." Rhiem glanced up. The Veteran pulled a large album from his pack. He flipped through almost fifty pages of hunters and soldiers.  
"This was O'Connell." A metal finger pointed to a smiling young man, with clean, close-cropped hair and an Anti-Tank Rifle over his shoulder. No scars were on his face. "O'Connell joined the Rubine Armed Forces when he was sixteen. He commanded a small troop that was in control of the strategic location of Vurms. He was stationed there for about a year. Then…the Archeries attacked. One of the first places they struck was Vurms. O'Connell's troop was wiped out."

It was Rhiem's turn to stare into space.

"O'Connell then disappeared. Slowly, The Archeries pulled out of Vurms. Almost thirty years after that, random attacks upon mercenary hunters traveling through Vurms began. Survivors screamed the name 'O'Connell' as they fled. Since then, no one goes there."

Rhiem stared at the picture of O'Connell. The man who went crazed, somehow got in control of Archeries machines, and then attacked him and Riu…This man, this evil man…

He reminded Rhiem of him.

* * *

Rhiem staggered out of the command tent. He had been discussing tactics with the Veteran for hours now. By now, night had fallen on the hunter's encampment. All the men were sleeping, preparing for their fights.

For some, they dreamt of their deaths. For others, they dreamt of resounding victory. The strongest dreamt of nothing...  
Rhiem pulled up to the nearest water spigot, and washed his face. The cold water felt good on his tired skin. Dripping, he wrapped his head in a towel, and started back toward Riu's and his tent.

He spent a split-second glancing at a young girl who was listening to a gold-leafed iPod. Her hair was dyed a bright crimson-red; close-cropped in a haircut that was known as a Windy-Bob. She hummed to herself, nodding her head.

_The daughter of a hunter? She seemed familiar...So did the tune..._

"Hey...cute, aren't ya?" The girl spoke up.

He stopped. He replied cooly: "You talking to me?" The girl pulled an earphone out of her ear. She looked really familiar.  
"Yeah...didn't think there'd be any good guys around these sticks." She pulled up, close to his face. "Know who I am?" She was a bit shorter than him.

Rhiem looked at her for a bit, and shook his head. He started back to his tent.  
"Shoot. You Fringe boys really don't keep up with times, do you?" She grabbed his hand, and turned his around.  
"My name's Tiana Woles." She smilied, showing a clean row of white teeth.

Rhiem made a mental double-take. Come to think of it...Tiana was about his age...  
"You...you're Tiana, from Rubine?" Rhiem's eyes were now focused, and alert.  
Her smile widened.  
"Yeah! Know me, huh? What say we get to know each other a bit better...?"

"I'm Rhiem. And I have to go, now."  
"Hey! Don't leave, Rieem! Rieem...!" Her sing-song voice carried over the tents as Rhiem walked back to his tent. He didn't know what a pop-idol was doing, over here, at the Apals. He didn't really care either. She didn't belong here, and it was none of his concern.

* * *

Rhiem pulled past the dark tents, shivering; the temperature was starting to drop.

He thrust his hands inside his pockets, willing them warmer. Then then he didn't feel something he should have.

Looking down, he realized he must have dropped his key to the tent! Shit!  
Rhiem turned back, and retraced his steps.

* * *

Dawn was rising. Rhiem staggered back to his tent. He made his way, and tapped on the door of his tent.

"Riu? Riu? Let me in, willya? I'm beat."

Rhiem shook his head. How could he lose his key?"

"Come in!!!" The tone of the voice was awfully familiar...

Rhiem popped his head in.  
"Hiya Rieem... You have pretty friend here." Tiana waved to him, sitting on his sleeping bag. Riu was on the other bag, smiling weakly.  
"Hi, Rhiem. You ...know her?"

"Hey, so sorry I had to swipe these from your pocket." Tiana tossed Rhiem back his keys.

Sighing, Rhiem rubbed his face. No chance of sleep, then.

* * *

_Mid-Morning_

"Oh yeah? What conditioner do you use?"  
"Conditioner...what's that?"  
"What? No way! As soon as breakfast is over, you and I are taking a decent shower, girl!" Tiana turned her head, smiling her whitest smile.  
"And Rhiem, you can join us if you want..."

Rhiem kept on eating, obliviously, while Riu blushed behind her hair.

"Man, you guys are no fun." Tiana took a bite out of her energy bar.

"TIANA!" Tiana tossed her bar into her untouched bowl of gruel.  
"ugh...shit. My mom's here." Both Rhiem and Riu turned to look at this.

A teenager, dressed in a suit, and carrying a bag his size of his shoulder, ran down the mess tent. His face was red with exhaustion, and he was panting heavily...  
"Tiana, I've been looking for you everywhere! Where'd you go!"

She stepped up, and struck the boy in the chest.  
"Shut it, fool. I didn't ask you to come with me, you dicked around and followed me. So if you're gonna keep on stalkin', then I'll just keep on losin' you."

She turned back to Rhiem.

"Noa, meet my new boyfriend. Noa, Rhiem."  
Noa clumsily dropped the bag, and stared at Rhiem.

Rhiem shook his head and rolled his eyes.

Noa took a deep breath, and fainted.

* * *

"Guh...damn wimp."  
"Who is he?"

Tiana sat at the medical tent's center. She twirled her headphones in a large arc, drawing eights in the air; a frown on her face  
"Who he is...che. A long time ago, my parents thought the guys I was dating were too 'bad' for a good girl like me. They introduced Noa so I might date him instead."

She kicked the unconscious Noa in the face.

"Yeah, a wimp like him really makes me want good, nice, boys." She smirked a bit at Rhiem.  
"You're an exception, though, pretty boy."

Tiana motioned to Riu. "Hey, I heard you're pretty good at singing."

"I...I'm alright at it."  
"Good. We'll have a showdown. I have a mini-karaoke machine in my tent."  
"Wha?" Riu glanced back at Rhiem before she was dragged off, hand-first.

"You're just going to leave him here?" Rhiem sat by the kid Noa.  
"Eh," Tiana shrugged. "I could care less. C'Mon, Riu. Let's bring it!"  
"Uh, um, al-alright."

As soon as Tiana and Riu left, Noa got up. It seems he had been awake the entire time.  
"Goddamn it." Rhiem glanced at the kid. "Goddamn women..."

Noa got up, and shook his head. "Ey, what's up?"  
Rhiem sighed, and sat back on a chair.  
"Not you, rogue. you gonna be alright?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Great. So now you can explain to me why a Pop-Idol is singing karaoke at the eve of a major invasion."

Noa got up, and took a deep draught from his light blue-colored canteen.

"Tiana...she's been my friend since we were little. She keeps on saying that her parents set her up so she isn't embarrassed by me. Two months ago, her agent set her up on tour to the fringe settlements, said there was a large profit to be made. Against her parent's and my advice, she went, and she took her gun with her. I tracked her down, and have been trying to get her to come home."

Rhiem cracked a small smile.  
"But, you end up carrying her luggage."  
"...yeah."

"Tsh!" Rhiem got up, and made for the door. "Hey, if you're here, you have a gun, right?"  
"Uh, kinda."  
"Bring it."

The Shooting Range.

There was a small shooting range set up in the encampment. The rangemaster was a small old man, dozing off by the bottom of the shooting gallery. A collection of guns sat on his sleeping lap.

None of them had their safety on.

Rhiem slowly clicked each on the safety of each one of the two dozen guns upon the rangemaster's lap.

"Hey, let's sneak in." Rhiem jerked his head. Noa looked about nervously.  
"Is this okay?"  
"Huh! There are no rules here. Not Rubine anymore."

Rhiem started up a dusty engine,which was connected to a series of disc launchers.  
"So, What's your choice?" Rhiem pulled his Fallen Tigress from his back, and loaded range rounds into the chamber.

Range rounds were rubber bullets meant to provide non-lethal practice. The round would crack the clay discs, and fly off harmlessly.

Noa pulled from his sack, inside, an enormous steel bow. There were two slots where the shafts of some odd arrow fit in, and a over-sized sheath hung from his back.  
Rhiem's eyebrows went up.  
"Hey, which museum did you swipe that from? I heard people haven't used bows for centuries."  
"Just watch." Noa drew his bow. An arrow shaft popped out of his sheath automatically. He pulled it out, and Rhiem could see the full arrow.  
The arrow had no point, no arrowhead. Instead, a small warhead covered the end.  
"Don't look directly at it."

A disc shot out. Noa tracked it, and fired off a hasty shot. The arrow flew ahead of it, and hit the wall behind. As soon as the warhead impacted the concrete, there was a small flash, and a rounding explosion erupted from the wall.

Rhiem could actually feel a bit of the impact from the shooting gallery. The shock pushed him back a step.  
"Damn...missed it. I need some practice."

Noa shook his head slightly.  
"Well, your turn."  
"If it's a show of arms you want..."  
Rhiem stepped up to the gallery.  
He raised the Fallen Tigress to scope. Three discs shot out.

waiting...waiting...

The disc soared in the air, and all flew to the center of the shooting range.  
For an instant...the three were near each other...

He fired. The range round soared through the air, and smacked the first disc. The impact sent the round tumbling though the air, and the disc in another direction,.

Cracked by the impact, the disc spun through the air, like a pinwheel.  
It caught the second disc by the very edge, and sent both discs in pieces flying at the target wall behind them.

Four halves of clay discs embedded themselves in the foam of the target.  
Noa's mouth hung open.  
"Oh my god...you took out two discs with one shot!"

Rhiem took a look at the last, soaring disc. It's trajectory was starting to come back, towards the gallery in the end of it's arc.  
He drew his tomahawk, and chucked it, flinging it towards the last disc. The axe cleaved the object in the center, and sent it's pieces tumbling down.

Rhiem glanced at Noa.  
"Here's some combat advice, since you're new.  
1. Prioritze everything.  
2. Always have a spare everything  
3. Never give up

and 4..." Rhiem swung his hand out, and caught the returning tomahawk. The chain whipped around his arm several times before clinking to a stop.  
"Never stand losing. I'll be waiting until you can beat me in this arena." Rhiem jerked his head. "Come on. Let's go check on the girls."

Fate has a cruel irony. Rhiem would not have to wait long.


	10. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Rhiem stared out from the shadows over his eyes. The Armed Personnel Carrier he was in offered no light, leaving the entire vehicle seeming like a large, metal coffin. He pointlessly looked about the transport vehicle, knowing he would see nothing but the inky blackness of the chamber. His fellow hunters looked similarly sober, all gazing out at what might be one of the last things they see in their life. Rhiem gripped the Fallen Tigress tight, and let the bumps and ditches of the trail they were driving on shake and vibrate his sore spots into painful cramps. To his left, Riu sat, stolid in the darkness, but her silver hair still shining bright in the APC. To Rhiem's left, Noa sat nervously, fingering his steel bow, scared to death of his first time in combat. the three sat silently, all feelings for conversation or friendship evaporated.

Now was a time to reflect.

The APC struck a rock, and sent it tumbling in pieces down a cliff. A lone piece fell past the gradual slopes, and plunged another hundred feet. It spun once in the air, and clanged on hard metal. The piece bounced off that once, and fell at the center of a lonely courtyard. Around the courtyard, were fifty-foot walls, all made of composite metal, soaring high in the sky; sentinels that guarded the entrance to the Archeries Fortress. The hum of an enormous iron windmill rang as the only sound in the metal stronghold. The place was next to empty. Outside it, men readied themselves for attack.

Inside the APC, Rhiem obediently followed the Driver's warning, and braced himself as the APC shot up a rocky slope to their insertion point. He held Riu up as the APC drove as high as it drove forwards, leaving the occupants shaken, not stirred.

The Driver called out to his passengers.  
"Fasten your seatbelts! We're going for an impact insertion!" The Driver smilied a bit as he gunned the engine, straight at the metal wall of the Archeries Base.  
"Imapct: ten seconds!"

Rhiem fearfully looked through the tiny-ass slit out the front of the APC that the Driver used to navigate.  
The wall got ever-so closer...  
"Impact!!" The edge of the APC stuck a small dent into the wall, leaving the tires spinning and kicking up dust as they slid fruitlessly on the ground.

"Detonation!" A small charge that was on the edge of the APC cracked in a flash of light, and left a sizable hole in the wall. "Go! Go! Go!" The back wall of the APC melted away, letting in a flood of light. Rhiem jumped out, and primed his weapon.

"Riu! Noa! Let's go!" The two nodded, and followed Rhiem into the hole in the wall.

Fringe Hunter tactics were simple: kill anything not human, take your spoils, and get out. There was little room for tactics like the Rubines did. The most anyone ever did was follow the orders of the strongest hunter there.

Rhiem felt two hunters brush past him, not even glancing at him, and watched the two disappear into the dark corridors of the wall. Rhiem looked both ways, and motioned for his friends to follow him. He pulled up his Fallen Tigress, and tread slowly down the corridor. His footfalls echoed through the empty halls...  
"Wait..."  
It just occurred to him that the Archeries could never fit a Heavy-Class Wyviod in these tiny corridors... which was comforting. Rhiem relaxed for just a second.

KREEE!!!  
A stream of lava erupted through the wall on his right, and melted straight through the his left. The lava shone like hellfire in the dark shadows. Rhiem screamed, and leapt back, gripping his gun. The intense heat missed Rhiem by less than his arm's length.  
Abruptly, the heat ended.

Rhiem glanced into the melted hole on his right with fear.

A powerful, cylinder-like body swayed with power. The grayed and dulled steel lent itself to absolute defense. The tail at the end was shaped like a massive club, studded with sharpened metal spikes every so feet. Huge, soaring wings stretched out and beat the ground with majesty and power. Massive, clawed feet whirred and groaned with the weight of the load, yet still held strong.

A face shaped like a mask of death, a grinning face from a skull, adorned the front.  
The Krav IOS had made it's stand.

The Krav IOS screeched again, and a collection of heat could be seen foaming at the mouth.  
Rhiem turned back, screaming:  
"RUN!"

_KREEE!!!_

A second stream of heat separated Rhiem from Noa and Riu.

Rhiem waved hurriedly to his friends.  
"Get to the other side! I'll meet you there!"

The yelling as hunters gathered in the Courtyard below to fight the Krav IOS rang out in the melted corridor. "Hurry!"  
Riu nodded, and pulled Noa back to where they came. Noa got dragged, blankly. His eyes glazed over and stared blankly at the melted holes.

Rhiem sprinted down the other way, and slid down a flight of stairs. Yet another stream of lava burst behind him, but it was not aimed at Rhiem. The Krav IOS had begun fighting.

In the Courtyard...

The screams of agonizing pain littered the courtyard. The Krav had made several sweeping shots at the clusters of hunters around it, burning a few unlucky ones to a melted crisp at a time. The rest pelted the Wyviod with round after round, shell, after shell, to no avail.  
One enlightened hunter attempted to get out of the range of the sweeping lava by moving as close to the Krav IOS so to have less distance to dodge.

After getting in three shotgun shells at the belly, the hunter and his enlightened brain were swiftly crushed to a mush by the Krav's enormous foot.  
Rhiem could hear the sickening stretch of bones as the Krav lifted it's foot off the now-flattened corpse.

It was then that the ranks of the hunters started to break. One by one, they began to peel back. First the strong ones, retreating with some dignity, pelting the Krav IOS with bullets. Then the weak, following the strong, not even bothering to get in some retributive hits. And then only the brave and foolish were left standing.

And after a couple of beams, there were none.

Triumphant, the Krav IOS raiseed it's skull-like face, and screeched it's tremendous victory howl The pressure raised the dust off the ground, and shot it into the air. Shaking a bit like a dog, the movements caused hundreds of bullets and bits of shrapnel clinked to the ground, in a metallic shower of crushed steel and lead. Not one round managed to penetrate the thick armor.

The heavy plates of armor ground and screeched as the Krav IOS lumbered over to the entrance of the Archeries Stronghold.

"Shit!" Rhiem pulled the slide on his gun, and cocked it.

He dived through the doorway, and drew his weapon. He lined his iron up, straight at the horrid, skull face.  
"Shrug these off."

He squeezed his trigger, letting the magnum rounds soar, and bury themselves within the folds of tempered steel that made up the armored plating of the Krav. Three resounding explosions rang out clearly in the empty courtyard.

It turned it's head slowly. As the clouds of powder cleared, Rhiem could see the damage he done. He might as well have thrown rocks. At least he wouldn't be wasting ammo. The Krav screeched at this annoyance, and charged yet another stream of lava. Rhiem readied himself. He could see the path of fire that it would carve. The angle of the neck... the timing... everything.  
As the Krav swung it's head around, Rhiem flew into a barrel roll; he felt the heat of the beam single the skin on his neck, he could feel the rubber of his boots starting to deform... His body tucked into a ball, and he cleared the stream of lava like a true high-jumper.

And then he hit the ground, hard. Through dizzy vision, he could see the beam continue down it's path, past him.

He drew his Fallen Tigress a second time.

A single Magnum Crag flew, and struck itself inside the mouth of the Krav. The round exploded immediately, blowing off several chunks of metal from the head of the Krav. The Wyviod whooped, and stumbled a bit. It shook it's head, like a true animal, and cleared out several pieces of twisted metal.

Growling mechanically, it advanced again. No more beams. It charged Rhiem like a bull.

Rhiem pulled himself up, and started dashing as fast as he could to the left. The enormous profile of the Krav was like a moving wall, ready to splatter him. Rhiem dived into his third combat roll of the day, and just barely grazed a dull spike off the end of the tail.  
The impact tore his leg out of his socket.

"Gahhh!" Rhiem writhed for a bit on the ground, and thinking quick, he slammed the stock of the Fallen Tigress on his thigh, knocking the joint back in place.

Krakak...  
"chhhe!" The pain was so great, he could see colors, flashing around his vision.  
Rhiem pulled his Fallen Tigress one last time, just in luck to see the great maw of the Krav baring down on him. He saw the flash of the Soul Gear, exploding behind the plating of the belly of the beast.  
"Oh shit--"

He covered his face, hopelessly, as to not see his death.

But it did not come.  
He looked, and saw that the Krav was actually staying still. Puzzled, but still moving, Rhiem dragged himself into a corner, and then turned to look at the Krav IOS.

It was just standing there, maw open, like a dead shark.

He sniffed the air.  
Gasoline.  
Shit.

Rhiem started dragging his useless body as fast as he could to a door. The smell of gas was growing stronger.

A large hissing could be heard from the Krav, as well as a shimmering consistent with gasoline fumes.  
"Come on!!!" Rhiem started throwing himself forwards, trying to get to cover. The smell of gas was now filling the courtyard...

Just as he saw out of the corner of his eye, the Krav moving, Rhiem pulled himself into the doorway.  
He groaned with both pain and exertion.

Noa appeared in front of him, bow drawn and ready.

"Hey! Rhiem-you alright?"  
"Noa... Get DOWN!"  
"Just stay still, I'll take care of it."  
"NOA!"

Noa stepped out into the doorway, and out into the open courtyard. He had his Bow drawn, and a Warhead Arrow all ready.  
Rhiem just managed to see Noa draw his bow to full length, as the Krav released it's Soul Pulse.  
"NOA!"

_THROOARR...BOOM_

MOAB. The Massive Ordinance Assault Blast. The Krav ignited the gas around it with a clack of the teeth, and a huge fuel air explosion rocked the courtyard. The entire area filled with furious fire. Rhiem could see the profile of Noa, a dark figure silhouetted in the flash of the explosion.  
Rhiem was Noa's entire body lift up a foot, and then become engulfed in the rising firewall. He saw Noa's neck snap back a bit, and then he was lost in the fire.

"NOA!!!"  
Rhiem struggled to pull himself up and look for Noa's figure. The inferno lasted for only a second, yet the destruction was obvious. The entire courtyard was charred and blackened. The Krav IOS stood growling at the center of a huge circle of blackness. It was like it was at the center of a meteor impact.

Riu looked up from hiding underneath the stairwell. A sound of an explosion rocked the walls.  
Her lips pursed in worry.

_What... is going on out there?_

Rhiem dragged himself over to where Noa's charred body lay. He winced as he dragged his belly over the searing hot concrete, but he went on. Rhiem glanced at the damage.  
"Noa..."

The entire body was charred and blackened. His left arm was charred down in spots where Rhiem could see bone. The left arm...was horrifically fused with Noa's Bow. The arrow still clung, twisted, on the frame of the bow.

Rhiem felt Noa's neck. The heat from Noa's skin fried and burned his finger, but he held it there.

A hopeful beat, a pulse.

"Noa...Noa!"

Noa's eyes looked at Rhiem. He tried to blink, but his eyelids were burned off. He tried to speak, but his lips were curled back, and blackened.  
Curling his tongue, and half-snarling, half-weeping, Noa opened his mouth:  
"Rhiem...I'm sorry--_GAH!_"

His burnt, limp body convulsed violently for a second.  
"I'm so sorry... so...sor...for in the end, being so useless."  
Noa looked down at his bow. Flames still flickered on the frame. The explosive warhead on the arrow was still there.

"Rhiem... lea...ve."  
"Noa, no! Just hang on!"  
"Heh... I didn't listen to you, look what happene-" Noa started choke. His eyes started crying with no tears. "Oh God! Just leave me before I go! LEAVE!"

Rhiem looked at the warhead, and the flames slowly crawling toward the explosive arrow.  
"Noa... What's your full name?"  
"...Hafvelt..."  
Rhiem pulled himself back. The pain from his leg was great--but this was worse.  
"Noa...good-bye."

Rhiem backed away from Noa, but never taking his eyes off him.

Noa struggled for his last words.  
"Rhiem, take... care o--"  
The warhead exploded

_BANG!_

Just a puff of dark red dust, a bit of shrapnel... and Noa was gone.

Rhiem clenched his hands, until he thought they would never come undone. His arms started shaking a bit, and his nail cut red marks into his palms. He pulled his Fallen Tigress tightly.  
"You won't be forgotten." He pointed the gun at the Krav IOS. "And you won't be forgetting this, BASTARD!"

He squeezed the trigger.

***

Extra One

NCO Marius trudged behind his troop. Panting heavily, Marius tried to catch his breath by resting his pack on a nearby tree. His thin arms trembled heavily; his knees were on the verge of collapsing; his dust-blond hair was matted to his forehead with exertion.

"He-Hey... Wait up..."  
Already, his division had gained a huge lead over him. Marius sighed heavily, and pulled his pack up again. It was going to be a long march.

The 103rd division had been dispatched to the forests of Gaul to engage and neutralize enemy rebels, the so-called Shin-Minegardes.  
...Supposedly there were no more Minegardians left. But for once, Rubine intelligence was wrong.  
The Shin-Minegardes had set up base in an abandoned castle, set against a hanging cliff-face. The Castle was made of crumbling rocks and mortar, perfect for hiding away from the radar sweeps of Rubine Scouts.

The Shin-Minegardes were currently launching a guerrilla campaign against Rubine supply lines moving through the area, stealing weapons and supplies for the war-front against Archeria.  
Marius knew he should have refused a front-line position. He was a pacifist, and so refused to fire a gun, and was given a job as NCO radio line. He had to carry a heavy and bulky radio on his back at all times, so to keep in contact with the Rubina Armed Forces at all times. Unfortunately, he was never that strong in the first place, being the weak, timid person he was.

Marius' CO glanced far back to spot his radio operator. The CO was a large, bulky man, with a furious mustache that shot out from under his large and protruding nose. His skin was red and blotchy from sunburn, but his body was bulky and resonated testosterone.  
He saw his weak subordinate next to crawling about a half-mile away.

"Hey! Marion! Pick your ass up, and get over here!" The CO smacked the tree he was standing next to. "NOW!"  
"guh...."  
"Damn it! Damn weaklings!"

Marius trudged sadly behind his CO. He was depressed, and humiliated--His CO was carrying the heavy radio, and his pack, and the CO's pack FOR him. The man never seemed to lose breath.

"Weakling! Quit sulking and get out of my face! You're a disgrace! Scum like you don't deserve to even to be looked at!"  
Marius flinched at the words, but did not deny it. He knew it was true, too. He was a disgrace.

"What? No balls to comeback? Didn't think so. No balls to turn the vagina under your nose into something speaks rather than sucks. "

Marius grit his teeth, but did not speak.  
"Worthless trash. How could you ever get a girlfriend? That chick must be desperate and a slut."  
The CO stopped, and took a deep look in Marius' eyes.

"How about you just let me in her? It'll be the first sex she had in months that's not lesbian."

-Viviana!-  
He clenched his fists until they bled. Marius snapped.  
"Why you...YOU Son of a--"

Marius swung wildly, and with abandon--His CO smiled from under his bushy mustache.

"Oh? You can actually punch?" His CO grabbed the arm, and twisted it over his back. Marius flew, and the CO slammed him down on the rocks and roots. Some soldiers glanced at the spectacle, but kept on marching. "I'll teach you some manners, boy."  
The CO reached behind, and drew his knife.

"Hey--wait!"

-Krick-  
His CO stabbed Marius' left index finger. Clean through.  
"Ah-GAHHH!! Ah...gah...."  
"Even your screams are pathetic, pussy."

His CO tossed a low-grade painkiller on Marius' face, and went on, picking up both packs and the radio.

"You'll stay here until you can take that painkiller. No doubt about it. If you've got any sense, you won't follow us men...Weakling."  
The CO went on.  
Marius writhed on the ground.

Castle Thenard

The CO held his hand up. Stop.

The CO led the way, forming the point-man for his division of almost fifty men. What he saw...  
A wire. Almost invisible to anyone but the CO's sharp eyes.  
He followed the glistening thread into a large bush growing off a tree at the side. He parted the branches and saw--

A huge bomb. Set to blow when the tripwire was sprung.

The CO leaned back to his second in command.  
"Watch for traps. We don't want to lose anyone to these obsolete terrorists." The Second in command nodded, and spread the word to the rest of the men. The CO took a careful step over the wire.

What he didn't see, was the second tripwire set up just behind the first one, even thinner and more invisible. It set off a silent alarm, alerting the Shin-Minegardians of their visitors.

The soldier in back listened carefully to his comrade's warning to look out for traps. He pulled his gun up, and carefully searched the ground under his feet, making careful steps.  
However, the soldier didn't look up, in the tree above him.  
His last mistake.  
A Shin-Minegardian, clamped in Hunter's Mail, drew his weapon. A huge sword, eight feet long, and made of the synthetics, keened in the silence.  
The Shin-Hunter slid off the branch he was crouched on, and swung the Greatsword. The sharp edge sheared off the top of the skull of the Rubine Soldier.

Brain, bone, and blood splattered the second-to last Rubine. The man had only to turn around, before a second Shin-Hunter swept from the tree canopy above, and struck the Rubine through the spine. The man took a short look at the hunk of carbon that stuck through his sternum, and touched it for a second, as if he wanted to see if it was real. The carbon Longsword pulled out of the man, and let loose a spray of blood.

Crouching low to the ground, the Shin-Hunters, dashed towards the turned backs of the Rubines marching up front. The majority of them managed to fire off only a single shot before the Shin-Hunters were upon them. A single shot was enough. The two sword-wielding hunters slammed into the nearest Rubine Soldiers, dead, with bullets rattling in their each of their ribcages.  
One of the Rubines swore out in relief.

They continued, keeping their eyes to the canopy as well as the ground.

The company had reached the base of where Castle met earth. The stone walls rose almost fifty feet in the air, towering over the Rubine men as they gazed for traps and enemies. One of them stepped on a wire. In an instant, he was peppered with crossbow bolts, breaking bone and flesh wherever they struck. Which was everywhere. The man fell, crushed to a pulp, while a signal flare shot out from the trap he set off.

All at once, the Rubine Soldiers were under fire. Huge shells, the size of their faces, fired out of the ramparts of the Castle. Hunters appeared from the death holes and the top wall of the castle, and opened fire with their bowguns. The CO screamed at them to get cover, many of them hiding behind trees before realizing that the Bowgun Shells shot through trees, and rocks before realizing they were hiding behind an easy target for cluster explosives.

All over, the CO's men were taking casualties. He ordered his anti-sniper squad forwards.

These hand-picked men wielded grenade launchers and anti-material rifles. Meant to root out the snipers who so favored heavy cover.

One of them fired a sticky bomb launcher, nailing the stone wall, from which behind, a Shin-Hunter used a heavy bowgun.  
The sticky bomb exploded, sending pieces of rock, wire, and hunter flying every which direction. This trend continued, with the anti-material rifles blowing holes through stone and chest, and grenade launchers finding pockets of Shin-Hunters and blowing them to bits.

In seconds, the ramparts defense was routed.

The CO waved his men on, to the main gate. Engineers shuffled up, and set C4 charges on the hinges of the huge metal door. They pulled back, and the CO personally detonated all of them, causing the door to fall forwards, almost comically, opening the way in.

It was a single passage to the central courtyards; a quarter mile into the castle.

The CO marrched his men down.

About ten minutes in, the men found their path completely blocked by four shields and four lances and four men.  
Four shin-hunters, wielding huge lances, charged forwards, leaving absolutely no room to flank. The Rubines opened fire, but to their dismay, found the huge shields the hunters carrying to be completely bullet, explosive, and edge-proof.

The CO simply pulled out his firearm. A gold-plated, .845 desert eagle, weighing almost ten pounds. It took only the CO's specially modified hollow-point rounds, designed to blow apart targets in one shot. It was meant to be fired with a hand and a half. He held it with one.

KAM

One hunter, with a hole in his shield and his heart, crumpled.

KAM

The second joined his comrade, knocking into the hunter next to him, and distracting the third to fall with no more face, simply the outside ring of the skull and jaw.

The last hunter flew into the air, and dropped his shield in mid-flight. He set the lance, and thrust towards the CO's chest.  
The CO merely shot the lance. The Armor-Piercing hollow point, an enigma in itself, tore through the lance, and into the last hunter's arm. The hunter continued to fly, and hit the CO with his good arm. Then he crumpled, and passed out from blood loss.

The CO would not let the man off so easy.

Castle Thenard Courtyard.

The CO had his men go into the courtyard, searching for hostiles. There was only one left.

A hunter, dressed in black armor, seemingly made out of the bone and scales of some horrid beast, stood at the center of the courtyard. He held in his hands, a huge sword, made of some black material that was identical to his armor. He seemed to be waiting for them.

The CO raised his gun, along his the rest of his company.

"You have one chance to surrender, rebel. We'll give you a fair trial, and simply treason for rebelling against the great state of Rubina."

The Black Hunter chuckled.

"You have one chance to surrender, before you and your men pay for the sins and atrocities committed to the neutral state of the Confedracy of the Nation-States of Minegarde."  
"Give me a break." The CO turned to his ready troops. "Men! Fire at will!" The sheer number of bullets bathed the courtyard in a whirlwind of dust. Stray bullets tore up the visible dirt, releasing deposit after deposit of lead into the ground.

Then, they were all out of ammo.

"Reload!" The CO gestured towards two of his men. "You two! Go confirm the kill!" The men nodded, and then stepped into the slowly clearing cloud of dust.

Their screams shook the remaining men as they reloaded.  
The CO brought his Desert Eagle up.

There was nothing in sight, but the four pieces of the two men that had been sent to die.

A Rubine Soldier at the far, far right screamed as his shoulder separated from his neck. The man went down in a splattering of blood, painting the Black Hunter crimson. The Hunter set his Greatsword down, tip barely in the dirt, and dashed towards the center, cleaving man after man straight in half. He was bathed in lead, but barely flinched as the projectiles dented and cracked his armor. The Black Hunter had bisected half the Rubines by the time he suffered his first injury. A lucky shot from a grenade launcher smashed his foot.

The Black Hunter stumbled for a second, and then made a beeline to the CO. The Black Hunter was twenty feet away as the CO brought his Desert Eagle up to blow the Black Hunter away.

Just like that, the heavier parts of the Greatsword fell away, revealing an elegant short sword. The Black Hunter increased speed, and relieved the CO of his shooting hand. The Desert Eagle fell, with the CO's hand still on the trigger.

"Shit!" The CO reached to pulled out a knife, but then realized he had no hand to wield it. "Shi-"

The CO suffered a great cut across the chest, before he fell.

The Black Hunter continued down, cutting down man after man, like the black death reaping his bloody harvest.

NCO Marius made it to the courtyard. With wide eyes, and a throbbing finger, he saw the massacre. The Black Hunter was decimating his company. He had to do something!

His eyes fell on the hand still gripping the late CO's gold-plated Desert Eagle. With two hands, he struggled to raise the ridiculously heavy handgun.

BLAM!

The Black Hunter stumbled forwards a second time, as he finished removing yet another Rubine from his head.  
The Black Hunter looked down, and saw a gaping hole where his liver should be. He gazed back, searching for the one who had finally ended his life.

A young, scared, weak Rubine with dust-blond hair, weak eyes, and trembling knees, gripping an enormous magnum with two shakiing hands, stared straight back at him.

The Black Hunter grinned in both pain, and slight disbelief. He pulled off his helm, made of some organic horn of some beast, and dark hair fell in bunches down his head. Intense eyes shone in the high noon of the sun.

"Nice shot." The Black Hunter fell, a cloud of dust rising from his impacted corspe. He took to hell with him the entire 103rd RTD division with him. All except, for Non-Combat Operative Marius Gramais.  
Trembling, marius dropped the gun, and pulled out a necklace around his neck, and kissed it.  
"Viviana, I'm...I'm alive..."

***

Ten Years Pass...

Lt. Gramais was at his small apartment, preparing to leave for his work. He called out to his wife.

"Viviana, could you help me with the kid?"  
"Honestly! Can't you? You're not afraid, are you?!"  
Lt. Marius stopped buckling his suit for just a second. It was true. He was a bit unnerved by his 3-year old son.

"I'm telling you, he's just like HIM."  
A loud, groan of exasperation leaked from the bathroom. Viviana Gramais stepped out of the room, with obvious impatience. Her red hair shone like gold in the low light of the four-room apartment.  
"Do you know how many times you've told me that?!" She struggled to zip up her black, form-fitting dress. "Could you please help me out here, Mr. Lt?"

Marius reached over and zipped up his wife's dress, and then swept her close.  
"It never stops being true."  
"Ugh!" She pushed him back. "Honestly, what'd that man do to you, switch out your balls for his?" Marius sat on a small chair, and then shrugged. He gazed over to where a small, used crib was set up in the living room. His son was not visible from his point of view.

He leaned over the backrest to get a better view. As soon as his head popped through the doorway, he caught sight of his son.

Strange boy. Just sat there, playing with his toys all day. Very quiet. Very obedient, and Marius suspected intelligent. The son looked up, and wordlessly stared back at his father. Slowly, he looked back down, and continued playing. Marius rocked his chair forwards to face his wife.  
"If you were there, you'd be unnerved at how alike they are."

His wife ignored him on this point, for the fiftieth time.

Lt. Marius stared straight at his son's! His son's eyes! They were bright, and intense, just like that man, that day, that changed his life.  
Lt. Marius walked slowly towards his son. The son snapped his head quickly, to face his advancing father, studying him with those eyes, and then he dropped them back down.

"Hey there buddy. Playing your toys?"  
The son didn't answer.

Viviana came in quickly through the door, and then kissed her husband on the forehead.  
"I'm going to the car first. Wait for you there." She turned to her son. "Sweety, I love you, and stay good and play your toys, alright? She stood oblivious to her son's observing eyes. "Honey," She turned back to her husband, "Don't be late, we have an inauguration to catch!"

She walked swiftly out the front door.

Marius turned to his son while his wife was gone.  
"Listen, son." He put his hand on the son's head. "Listen carefully...to tell you the truth, you scare the shit out of me."

The son looked up.

"But...no matter what, I love you, all the same. So, stay safe sport, I'll be back in three months." Lt. Marius fixed his suit, and strode out the front door.

He never came back.

***

They say a suicide bomber hit the official inauguration of the one-hundred new 1st Lts. that were to be affected into service. Over half of them had children. Thirty-six of those went to relatives. Ten went to foster care. Three went to orphanages.

One went to military care.


	11. Chapter 13

13

He pulled the trigger as hard as he could, sending the magnum crags soaring through the air, and embedding themselves in the sealing valves of gas. The crag rounds detonated, shaking loose several joints and supports from the plate armor of the Krav IOS. The Krav stumbled once again, and then as it's head came down, it sent a stream of molten iron arcing after Rhiem.

Rhiem's eyes filled with rage as he merely sidestepped the torrential fire. He raised the Fallen Tigress again, aiming for the vulnerable and weak joints holding the plates of the belly together of the Krav.  
With each shot, the armor weakened more and more. Metal alloy started creaking, and wires and steel pistons started to bend and break.

One final shot. And then the thickest part of the armor on the Krav, the belly, fell wide open.

Rhiem's eyes widened in shock, but the rage in his eyes did not abate.

As if he, or she, or it, was crucified, the Archeries Operator hung a hidden compartment behind the area that was once covered by the belly plate. Arms and legs were merged horrendously into the machine itself, making the Archeries one with the machine. The chest was peeled of skin, and then screwed onto a huge spine-like metal support, that shot spikes into the Archeries' back.

Although the thing was naked, the body and the face were so transfigured that the Archeries looked more monster than man.

A Soul gear was affixed directly over the Archeries' heart, pulsing with his heartbeat.  
A solid metal mask covered the face from neck to scalp.  
Krav IOS: Kravatsky's Integrated Operating System.  
Integrated to hell, Rhiem thought.

It screamed.

It hurts.

It burns.

The air, it burns.

Rhiem crouched down a bit, recoiling from the wave of emotions he felt from the Archeries. Torture, pain, death, and rot all bundled into one and shoved itself into Rhiem's mind. He raised his gun.

The Archeries readied another beam.

They fired at the same time; Rhiem had to duck to avoid the stream of fire, and missed his shot. He charged towards the most vulnerable area, the belly, the operator itself. The Archeries screamed a challenge at Rhiem, and then swung a massive steel wing at him. The huge blade of death was merely given passing notice to Rhiem's advancing form.

He vaulted over the slamming appendage as if it were a fence, and then planted himself on the large expanse of the wing. He both crouched down to aim a shot, and dodged an extremely lucky beam of fire that skimmed the walls, and left melted steel all over the place.  
He flipped up the fallen piece of the Krav IOS's belly, deflecting the next arcing beam of heat. The shot slammed into the plate steel, and rocketed in a spray behind Rhiem. Pieces of heat ignited small areas of the air, leaving the atmosphere behind Rhiem look like it was partially lit on fire.

***

Riu ducked through a doorway, into a stairwell, and she ran as fast as she could up the spiraling stairway. The light of the doorway shone several flights above her. She took only a second to catch her breath before she started up again.

***

"Say goodbye." He shot the magnum rounds straight into the Archeries' abdomen. The man roared in rage, before his stomach exploded in a spray of metal implants and bone.

Rhiem nimbly leapt off the Krav IOS as it collapsed to the ground. Whining and groaning noises leaked out of the audio block at the mouth, growling softer and quieter as it's pilot died with it.

Rhiem turned back quickly to check on Noa's body.

"Noa..!"

He just turned when the machine behind him started up again. The shadow of the injured Krav IOS loomed over him, an iron megalith- and readied one last shot. This one was stronger than the last. This one would definitely kill him.

***

"Ah!" Riu came out the ramparts of the Fortress wall, finding what she was looking for-- The anti-armor turrets set up at the tops of the walls, unused. She slipped into the harness, glancing at all of the controls.  
The inputs would have been foreign, even to the best Rubine gunner. But she--she, she KNEW the controls. They were of a subconscious nature.

Her fingers flew over the keys, striking unmarked buttons, and writing in code she never seen before.

The Archeries symbol, a Raven's feather set in a double-crescent background, lit up, and the Green-Blue HUD shone on the glass screen. Immediately, Riu twisted a lever, turning the turret 180 degrees to face the Krav IOS and Rhiem.

A lock-on symbol and a recognition symbol shone on Rhiem and the Krav, respectively. Riu slammed in some more inputs, and the symbols switched. She readied the first volley, letting the cross symbol over the Krav grow from blue, to crimson red. It was about to fire a huge beam.

He fingers curled over the triggers, and she fired.

90mm barrels thundered in the air, sending two electromagnetic rounds into the Krav IOS in two neat holes. Normally, this would not have done much damage, but Riu did something different. She aimed for the Operator.

***

The Operator turned to face a smoking hole, a half foot to the right of his head, in his precious Wyvoid machine. He turned to face the other hole, which took out his entire left shoulder.  
"AGAHHH! HAHH! RAHH!"  
THe Archeries started convulsing, slamming his good arm against his inputs and his keys.  
In the midst of his random flailing, as a final death threos, the Archeries keyed the self-destruct switch.

Rhiem could hear the distinctive beeps of the self-destruct protocol amid the screams of the Archeries.  
"Riu! Move! It's gonna blow!"

Riu leaned back to yank herself out of the turret, and started running.

KAM!

Rhiem got them to go ten paces before the explosion of the Krav IOS knocked them to the ground. The Krav IOS seemed to bend from the inside, and the it broke itself in two as a hidden charge of C4 tore the Wyvoid to pieces. These pieces flew all over the place, striking in the ground, in the walls around the courtyard, and towards Rhiem and Riu.

The injured Rhiem lifted himself up, and ~ow~ putting weight on his left arm. A slightly large piece of shrapnel stuck from his shoulder, sending waves of white-hot pain through his shoulder, and effectively stopping it from moving, but otherwise he was fine. He looked over to the still figure of Riu. She was just stunned.

Limping over, all the way to the ramparts, he pulled her up, letting her warmth comfort his pain. He would need to carry Noa's horrifically burned body as well. He got the point of pulling Riu's arm over his shoulder, before his arm gave out, and he collapsed.

Wouldn't be the first time, he thought.  
He passed out.

* * *

Riu stood out by the tents. She gazed up to the sky, and let the first flakes of snow brush across her face.

Her squeal of surprise and delight traveled all the way to infirmary where Rhiem laid bandaged across the chest, and set on a small bed with a simple mattress. He pulled himself up on one arm, and smiled.

He brushed the tent flap aside, and made his way across the new snow to where Riu was playing.  
He had on a half-smile, half-grimace from the pain in his shoulder as he called out to her.  
"Your first winter?"  
Riu looked back with the winning smile of living something for the first time. There was something in that smile that made Rhiem feel less tough.  
"It's beautiful!" She pulled in the furry hooded jacket she had over her face and laughed. The scenery behind her was a deep, full blue, tinged by the glazing snow, and dimmed in the morning lights. Rhiem had on only his battered jacket, and the bandages around his waist and chest, but he felt fine in the biting cold.

He walked over to Riu and turned her around.

"It's usually snowy. You came in at the few months we have summer. Most of the time, it's freezing."  
She looked back at him, surprised.  
"Was it always like this? All cold?" She looked out at the freezing environment, and realized that it would remain so for the rest of the year, not until the next spring.  
Rhiem wiped the frost from his face, he licked his dry lips, pondering the wisdom of telling Riu why winter dominated the year.

"It was the Archeries that brought the endless snow." Rhiem looked up to the east. "Ten years ago, it wasn't like this--until the Archeries set up base at Mount Et. He pointed out, aimed past the falling snow, past the tops of the tents, and past the high mountains of the Apals.

One huge mount, arced like a cliff, and soaring thousands of feet above the rest of the mountains, was obscured completely in a frigid could of frost. Yet a lone tip of black rock stuck out, in an area where it was so dry, no snow fell on it's faces, but it was still frigid and freezing.  
"They sent a special Wyvoid--"

Riu took the time to rip her eyes away from Mount Et.  
"The Dao Ku-Long. The Knife of Tears Dragon. It causes these harsh winters every year, claiming tens of thousands of people's lives every year in Rubina." Rhiem closed his eyes, and thought back to his textbooks back at the Military Academy. A fierce steel-black wyvoid--completely automated, and one of the most powerful.  
"It was of original Sinoese design. One of the most powerful wyvoids in Archeria's entire armory."

***

It strode on the black, freezing rock of the summit of Mount Et. The Dao Ku-Long sensed yet another waning of the winter storms in the southern districts of Rubina.

It shook it's wings, and a whirring could be heard through the chest of the wyvoid. Immediately, the pressure in the skies over the south districts nearly halved. Snow doubled it's ferocity, and the people below suffered even more from the cold. Winter was an indiscriminate killer. The same effect of a nuclear strike, but lasted longer.

The closely fitted pitch-black-steel armor of the Dao Ku-Long slid over one another perfectly, sending screeches of microbes of steel out to mix with the continual howling of the blizzard around it. The bat-like wings flapped, sending puffs of airs all around it, forming another armor of highly pressurized air. The face, a face of the evil Sinoese dragon-god of the West, was of a that of a proud lord, cruel, yet majestic.

It roared, to no one, and nothing. that it was king of this summit.

And again and again, no one stood to protest.

***

Rhiem stood, thinking of how the Dao Ku-Long fought.  
"It uses rapid depressurization to rain a freezing hell over our country. This depressurization freezes anything in it's path, and immediately goes away as the area re-pressurizes. Causing an invisible, instant knife of cold that slashes through anything at close range, and a blanket of winter storms from afar."

Rhiem started shivering.

"We've tried to kill it. Nobody has even gotten to the summit. The Dao just blasts or freezes anyone who even tries to get on. And it just blasts us every year with those winds. Well, we got close once--" Abruptly, the sound of crunching snow cut him off. The Veteran, with his metal limbs, was weaving across the tents and the snow, over to Rhiem and Riu.  
"Comrades, are you resting well?"  
Riu nodded, while Rhiem unconsciously rubbed his bandages.  
"Yeah, we're fine." The Veteran nodded, and stooped down closer.  
"Listen, I am holding a conference over at the command tent. You and Riu are invited. Meet us over in four hours."  
Rhiem stared right into the Veteran's face. He moved closer, until they were face to face. His voice was a careful whisper.  
"You had better not be getting Riu into more trouble." The Veteran was a steady whisper right back.  
"Do you want revenge for that Noa or not? His body was never found--do you really want to let the ones responsible get away?"

Rhiem felt all the more icy in his belly. Noa.

"Gah! Fine."

***

ater that day, Rhiem pulled into the large, framed tent, with Riu following close by. Hunters, all of them elite, were gathered on the mats set on the ground, with the Veteran taking up the center. Rhiem silently counted all of them. Over two dozen of the most elite hunters involved in the Apal Fortress invasion.

The Veteran stood in front the gathered hunters.

"Hunters! Fellow Comrades! I have gathered you all here today for a mission. No doubt each one of you have noticed that yet again, the blizzards of the Dao Ku-Long has begun. It'll be the sixty-fifth winter that will have decimated our peoples." The Veteran gripped his prosthetic limbs. "But I have gathered you here today to end the terror. We will destroy the Dao Ku-Long once and for all."

Immediately, murmurs and grumbling came slipping out of the crowd of hunters. One of them, a small black man with a close-cropped cornflower for hair and only one eye, spoke up first.

"The Dao Ku-Long targets Rubina. Since when have we owed Rubina anything, anything at all?"

The Veteran sighed, and stared straight back at the one-eyed man.  
"No. We don't owe them a single thing--but use your head, man-- although the Dao Ku-Long targets the heavier areas of Rubina, we're the convenient collateral damage. Every year, more of a percentage of our people die than in Rubina thanks to the indiscriminate actions of Archeria."  
The Veteran looked out to all the men and women gathered there.  
"We're not doing this for them--we're doing it for our pride and safety of our and their peoples."

The black hunter didn't say another word, and leaned back on his chair, arms crossed.  
A young women, with olive skin and two thin ponytails set off on the left back on her head, spoke up next.

"How are we going to get to the top? Everyone who's tried has either been frozen or blasted off. I don't plan on losing half of us here before we even get a chance to fire a shot."  
The Veteran grit his teeth.  
"For that...I have requested some help."  
The ponytailed-hunter raised her eyebrows.  
"Who?"

The tent flap burst open. A jet black military boot stepped in, followed by a medium built man with a heroic, yet stoic face. This heroic man was followed by two Rubine Elite bodyguards, dressed in pitch-black body armor, and with wide, face-hiding helmets.

Captain Herus Auder, Rhiem's captain.

"Me."  
He turned to focus on Rhiem.  
"You've been doing alright, have you-- traitor?"  
"Better than being a teenage girl's executioner."  
"We can argue this all day. But I have better things to do with my time." The Captain turned to the Veteran. "Well, have you convinced your men to join us in our assault? Our Vertical Take-Off Transports are ready to lift-off."  
"What do you mean, 'join'? I was under the assumption that I would commit warriors, and you would provide the transport and air cover."  
The Captain smiled.  
"I brought along some...help."

The Veteran pushed past the Captain and his bodyguards to look out the tent.

A hundred Rubine storm-troopers greeted him with slience. They were all clothed in white robes, and had snow-combat rifles, even the metal of the gun was sprayed with white digital camo. They gave the storm-troopers the appearance of flickering in and out of vision in the falling snow. Five VJTTs, Vertical Jet-Takeoff Transports, with their engines humming and glowing bright, stood behind them.

The Veteran whirled back to face the Captain.

"This is too many, and completely inappropriate! What made you think you could just bring along a hundred men over here to screw around with us?! My men are enough!"  
The Captain faced the Veteran square in the eyes.  
"Relax. They are here for insurance. You'll need all the help you can get destroying the Dao Ku-Long." The Captain waved his bodyguards with him, who filed out of the tent first, leaving the Captain alone in the tent for an instant.

"Oh--And Rhiem?" Rhiem's eyes narrowed at the familiar tone. "Take this." The Captain chucked a large blade, straight at Rhiem. Rhiem caught it a split-second before it impaled him in the chest. "You forgot your machete."

Smirking slightly, Captain Herus left the tent, leaving Rhiem alone with his old weapon.

"..."

He turned.  
Rhiem struck the tent support with his fist so hard, that the tempered steel actually buckled a half-foot, before coming to a creaky rest.

Riu could only look on with concern as he saw Rhiem's blood flow from out the knuckles in his hand, and watch the blood flow from out his furious, pale face.


	12. Chapter 14

Chapter 19

Rhiem sat on the hard metal bench inside the Vertical Jet-Takeoff Transport, the VJTT. He stared blank, but fiercely at the bench set up on the other side of him. Captain Herus Auder sat across from him, his eyes never wavering, always focused on Rhiem. The man's scarred fingers made intricate, mind-bending weaves around an eight-inch knife blade, sending the gleam of the carefully sharpened edge scattering all around the crowded passenger bay of the VJTT. Only the low hum of the twin jet turbines made a sound in the stoic cabin. Every hunter and soldier was steeling themselves for a terrible fight, the fight for their lives.

Riu 's eyes zipped between the face of the man who had tried to execute her, who was cooly staring at Rhiem, to the face of her friend, which was contorted in hardly containable anger. She was afraid flames may burst from their eyes, based off the way the two were staring each other down.

_If looks could kill..._

She trembled at the thought.

* * *

Five hours had passed. The VJTT had barely made it up one-third the face of Mount Et. The snows of the mount formed heavy drifts all around the soaring cliffs in this area.  
Inside VJTT #1, the Captain unclipped his belt, and never breaking eye contact with Rhiem, he made his way up to the cockpit.

* * *

The pilot was getting sleepy. He yawned, and checked himself in the reflection of the windshield. He always did that when he was nervous, to no end of annoyance from his co-pilot. As soon as the pilot set himself back, two ice-blue eyes greeted him in the reflection.

The poor man jumped up a bit, and turned around; the hard face of Captain Herus bore down on him.

"S-Sir! What can I do for you?"  
The Captain cleared his throat, and bent down.  
"See here, buddy, I need you to do a quick mechanics check on that flat snowdrift there.

The Captain pointed to what would be a cove in the Mountain's hard rock. The cliff above provided decent cover from the heavy snow, leaving only the soft powder on the flat area below. A tunnel turned into the caves, and another path led up into the mountain. The only other side was a steep slope of pure snow that stretched a mile down to sea level, where it turned to water.

"S-Sir? May I ask why? All systems are gree--" The Captain squeezed the poor pilot's shoulder. To the man, it must have felt like a crushing vice.  
"Do it. Signal the four other VJTTs."  
Quivering, and scaring the shit out of the man's co-pilot, the pilot set the radio channel.

"Callsign: Eagle One, this is Eagle one, Hawk two, bar five, do you copy?"  
-Bzzt-

THe radio crackled to life.  
"Eagle One, this is Hawk Two, we read you, what's the problem?"  
"Hawk Two, we seem to have a bit of a - a" The pilot looked at the Captain, who nodded. "A fuel problem. We need to touchdown in the coordinates 'Foxtrot, Beta, Niner, Six, scale twenty-thousand thirty-four.'"  
"Eagle One, we read you, shall we stand-by?" THe Captain stepped in.  
"Hawk two, this is Captain Auder here. Proceed on your route. Eagle One will catch up with up you soon."  
"Copy that, Eagle One, Hawk Two out."

The four other VJTTs gunned it, leaving the lone VJTT, Eagle One, above the snowy cove.

The Captain walked back into the passenger bay, where most of the occupants were left wondering why their ride had stopped. But only Rhiem knew why.  
The Captain walked down the aisleway, and stopped before Rhiem.

"You know what I plan to do." The Captain made his way to the cargo bay, and left the door open. Even as the rest of the passengers stared at him, Rhiem got up and followed him.

"No! Rhiem, don't go!" Riu took off after Rhiem. "Rhiem! It's not worth it!" Rhiem got in the cargo bay, where it was pitch-black.  
Riu dashed ahead of him, and blocked his way, arms spread.  
"Rhiem... Don't give him what he wants! He wants to kill you!"  
"I won't die."  
"I - DON'T CARE!" Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes. "Don't scare me like this, Rhiem, please!" Rhiem averted his gaze. He stared at the cold hard floor of the VJTT.  
He sighed, sending a stream of foggy breath into the room. He ran his hand through his hair.  
"You're right, Riu. I'm sorry."

Rhiem called out to the Captain. "Sir? You know what, I can't fight you! I'm done here!"

Rhiem turned around, leading Riu back to the passenger room.  
But something was off. The humming of the jet turbines of the VJTT seemed to be louder, and more guttural than smooth.

The Captain's voice sailed out the dark cargo bay.  
"Rhiem... I'm sorry for tricking you a second time." The humming turned into a whirring. "I made you think you had a choice.

Pistons hissed, and a huge, striped-camouflaged arm with a massive claw gripped Rhiem all around the torso.  
"Gah! What?" He struggled against the huge claw-like fingers. The serrated edge dug into his chest and arms, leaking small amounts of blood. "What the hell!"  
Riu went up and started beating on the arm that trapped Rhiem; crying and screaming.  
"Let go! Let go of him!"

The Captain's voice sailed out of the darkness again.  
"Young Riu, I'd advise you to hold onto something."

A second, striped-camouflaged arm slammed the emergency release. As the floor fell away, Rhiem and the huge thing gripping him fell twenty feet into the soft snowdrift below. An explosion of powdered snow fell everywhere, causing instant cloud cover.

"RHIEEMM!" Riu clung desperately to a service pipe, trying to spot where Rhiem might be. The emergency relocks engaged, and then the doors closed, blocking her from view.

* * *

Below, Rhiem pulled himself up. He became faintly aware of the mechanical pistons and gears that were whirring throughout the supposed silent cove. The powder cover cleared, and then Rhiem could see was grabbed him.

EX Tiger. The Exoskeleton of a fearsome animal, all wrapped around a single human in a harness where the chest of the EX tiger would be. The powerful arms and deadly tail swung in slow, deliberate movements, resembling most like a tank. A face like a Tyrannosaurus Rex adorned the area above what would be the harness. This, however, was different from standard Archeries design. One being that the operator inside was almost completely exposed, the structure of the exoskeleton being little more than a frame with powerful limbs. However, this raised the speed and agility to incredible levels.

That different from the design, and the insignia of a Lion over a rose field painted on the left arm.

"Like it, Rhiem? It's the epitome of Rubina technology." The head on the EX tiger snapped it's teeth. "Far more powerful, and faster than anything you ever faced!"  
Rhiem pulled himself into a crouched position, out of breath.  
"Captain... what happened to you? You were honorable. You were magnificent, the kind of man I wanted to grow up to be."

The Captain's eyes narrowed.  
"A why are you using past tense, boy?"  
Rhiem gazed right back into the Captain's eyes, and then up at the glowing red eyes of the EX Tiger.  
"You've become what the Archeries are: encasing themselves in machines. You would execute a defenseless girl. You would lure me out here against my will, and intend to kill me with that thing? Is there a shred of honor left in you?!"  
The Captain was silent for a moment.  
"You mistake me for a fool bound to fairness. My value is upon duty, and then honor. I failed my duty when I failed to stop you and the girl from escaping. I failed my duty when I was preoccupied with a public spectacle and left my troops vulnerable." The Captain's eyes shone determination. "You will be the first of my reclamation of duty to my country, and so then my honor."

Rhiem was busy checking his slide.

"Che. You talk too damn much. Time to die." He let the slide fall back.  
-CHACK-  
The Captain grinned slightly.  
"I couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

Riu was above, pleading with the pilot.  
"Please! Turn back! He's going to kill him!" The pilot could only shake his head sadly. There was nothing he could do. Lest he suffer the Captain's rage.

"Please! Please!"

Trying hard to ignore her, the pilot checked his altimeter. 1/2 the way through. Only eight hours left. And he had a bad, bad feeling about this run.

* * *

The EX Tiger threw itself forwards; the Captain inside swung his force-feed back fist, sending the proxy claw slamming into the snow where Rhiem was. A tidal wave of frost bore over Rhiem. He dashed to the right, steering clear of the never-ending slope of snow to the left. He pulled the Fallen Tigress up, trying to aim for the vulnerable harness of the EX Tiger.

Clang! Kam! The bullets smacked into the raised forearm of the EX Tiger.

The bullets couldn't even find purchase on the smooth armor of the EX Tiger, and splattered harmlessly around the harness.  
The Captain swung his arm forwards, sending the Tiger's arm in a low sweep, and would have knee-capped Rhiem if he hadn't sunk to the ground, and lay as flat as he could.

The air pressure from the swing seemed to try to lift him up and send him flying.  
"Rhiem! Give up and save some dignity!"

The EX Tiger spun in a circle, sending the sharp and elastic tail flying everywhere. One edge caught Rhiem right below the armpit, and sent him tumbling.  
"Gah!" Thrashing in the snow, he quickly brought his arm to the injury. He could feel blood and small fragments of bones poking out of his chest. He capped a morphine pill, and the pain quickly waned to a dull throbbing.

The EX Tiger set it's claws in the snow, with the Captain inside, imitating the pose.

"Rhiem! Give up already!"  
The EX Tiger charged towards the prone Rhiem. It seemed as if the machine were swimming through the powdered snow, like a shark from hell.  
"*bleep* off."

Rhiem squeezed off three shots, all at the left claw. One bullet caught in the mechanisms, and then detonated, tripping the EX Tiger. The EX Tiger thrashed about, trying to regain balance, sending waves and waves of snow everywhere.  
Rhiem sprinted up to the EX Tiger for the finishing blow, machete in hand.

A cold explosion knocked him backwards.

* * *

The pilot glanced backwards. It seemed as if that silver-haired girl had given up. She now sat on the steps behind him, morose. He felt sorry for her, but he had a job to do.  
The pilot glanced at the monitors, and saw that he had caught up to the rest of the VJTTs.

"Hawk Two, bar, Five, do you copy?"  
Counting off from two, each Hawk from two to five confirmed Eagle One. "Listen, we are two miles from the known effective range of the Dao Ku-Long. Fire up the anti-airs, and keep your eyes to the sky."  
"Eagle One, are you certain we are out of the Dao Ku-Long's range?"  
Confused, the pilot replied.  
"Affirmative, the Dao Ku-Lng never attacks out of a certain radius."  
"Well, then what the hell is that?!"

The pilot stared at the radar, and then noticed a small blip, right above their group!

"Hawks! Scatter! Scatter! Objecti-" Like a ton of bricks, the Dao Ku-Long fell from the sky. The heavy weight of the wyvoid's claws crushed the wing of Hawk Four, sending the transport smashing into the side of the mountain. Unlike in movies, there were no explosions. Only the awful sound of crushing metal against rock, and human lives into death. The VJTT broke in three, and fell a hundred feet before catching against a sharp crag, where the broken pieces of metal tore itself against the blade-like rocks.

The pilot of Eagle One looked in horror as Hawk Four was just wiped out before his eyes.

"Hawks! Open fire!" The Air-to-air combat gun blazed in the evening sky, lighting up the side of the mountain with it's tracers. Bullet after bullet flew at the black armor of the Dao Ku-Long, and merely swerved away. The heavy winds of the Dao's air armor flung the slugs every direction, punching holes in the mountain, or falling out to the sky.

"Ah-Shit! Fire is ineffective! Switch to missiles, and continue ascent!"

Immediately, the remaining four VJTTs let loose their rocket pods, sending hellfire missiles out to fill the sky. The burning trail of their exhaust drew clear lines in the shadow of Mount Et. As the missiles careened to the black form of the Dao Ku-Long, the VJTTs shot up towards the summit.

Hawk Three remained behind, still firing hellfire missiles.

"Hawk Three! Pull up! You have no chance!"  
"N-no...We have to kill it here! Everyone will die! It's not possible!"  
"Hawk Three!!"

The foolish VJTT continued to fire hellfire missiles, remaining in place. Then the first hellfire missiles reached the Dao Ku-Long. They veered off-course, sending the majority smashing and detonating against the mountain; rocks and ice tumbled off the sheer face of the Mount.

Then the Dao Ku-Long lunged towards Hawk Three. It grabbed the transport by the top, and flung it against the mountain, where the VJTT slammed and buckled against. Then, the Dao Ku-Long sucked in the wind shield from around it, like it was EATING the wind. The catching snow spun and spun into a sphere at the maw of the Dao Ku-Long.

_KRIIIAAAAEEEN!!_

A huge screeching filled the side of the mountain; the swirling sphere shrunk until it was the size of a baseball.

* * *

The injured co-pilot of Hawk Three looked up. The whole world was smeared red with his blood, which was running down into his face. Vertigo struck his eyes, his left arm was numb and crushed; the sheer blood loss he took was making it hard to focus. In the fuzz and blurs that was his vision, he saw that the windshield had been crushed, and his partner was nowhere to be found.

What did he do to deserve this?

He looked up, and saw a white spreading across his vision. He would have thought that death be a bright, vibrant white, but this was cold, and icy.

As the white swept over him, his helmet cracked in two, frozen to the point of fragility. The director simply lay down, and let the ice sweep over him.

* * *

_HIIIIIAAAAAAAN!! _

The sphere exploded outwards, and bathed Hawk Three in sub-zero temperatures. Very quickly, the transport was lost in the swirling torrent of snow. Metal snapped, flesh froze and crumbled away; the VJTT was forever fused by ice and frost to the side of Mount Et. When the Dao Ku-Long finished, a white skeleton of the transport craft lay fused to the mountain, preserved forever in frost.

It fell back, bobbed, and shot upwards into the night sky.

***

"GAAH!"  
The EX Tiger sent out a earth-shaking roar, smashing the snow around it in every direction, and sending Rhiem tumbling; ears ringing and balance destroyed. The roar was low in pitch, but contained crushing volume and power in it's range. Rhiem could only stumble about in the snow , the world spinning, and his legs useless.

"Ugh! Son of a bitch!" Rhiem tried to bring the Fallen Tigress up, but as soon as he looked up, the captain swung his fist, Ex Tiger's massive claw swatted Rhiem away, across the snowy drift, bouncing once, twice, three times before rolling to a stop at the edge of the face. Captain Auder moved his right arm up, lined up with Rhiem.  
"You're out of luck, kid." He pulled a red trigger off the side of his control; the great claw of the EX Tiger opened up to reveal a small minigun.

Captain Herus Auder then pulled the red trigger to it's full pressure, and the minigun sprayed lead, sending bullets soaring, and burying themselves around Rhiem.

Rhiem was not hit by the scattering bullets, but he could feel the danger of letting this situation continue... the bullets were destroying the snow!

Rhiem pulled out his gun and puled off two shots, both of them wide, smacking harmlessly against the toughened shoulder plates of the EX Tiger.  
Captain Auder took a second to glance at Rhiem's pathetic shots.  
"What a pathetic last stand. No more of this." Captain Auder raised his left arm, which raised the EX Tiger's massive left claw. "You are done." He slammed the claw down, sending a shock wave of energy around the snow drift.

At once, Rhiem could feel himself slipping away... ice crumbled away, snow became as solid as flowing mud. Rhiem tried desperately to find something to grab on, but the torrent of snow and ice made this task futile.

"Aggh! No! Not yet! You're not!--" Rhiem drew his machete, and raised it high above his head. He then slammed it into the growing avalanche. "Going!-" He plunged the blade further. "To kill!-" The blade finally stuck it into hard rock. "ME YET!"

He grit his teeth, and gripped the handle of the machete as hard he could, but the avalanche eventually swept Rhiem down the slope.  
"GAHHH!" He fell back, into the inky depths of the mountain, one arm stretched out in a last ditch attempt for survival.

_Is this where I end_? Rhiem thought. _I had plans, yet...I'm dead, good as dead._  
He fell further down.

_How easy would it be for me to just give,_ he thought.

How troublesome it would be, to survive and have to win this fight, if he even could.  
How easy... but Riu...

Rhiem felt something click inside him.

_That's right... I already gave up an easy life, easy death! For her!_

Rhiem threw his left arm, stretching out to the black night sky...

Above, Captain Auder took a long, cold glance at where Rhiem used to be. Only Rhiem's black-bladed machete stood as his last mark upon this world. How fitting.  
And then, a sound apart from the tumbling of snow.

_Zing!_

Captain Auder glanced around. That sound was familiar...

_Whirr....whirr..._

A black thing flew ten yards into the sky. Captain Auder stared at the object, disbelieving. Shit! His tomahawk! It was in the air!  
The tomahawk curved down, and wrapped itself around the machete; the chain grew taut. And then, a hand appeared off the lip of the slope. With a sound of extertion, Rhiem pulled himself up from the depths itself! In one hand, gripped the black chain that belonged to the Tomahawk he threw at the last minute. In the other hand, an unknown white substance.  
But the scariest part of Rhiem was his new, quiet confidence.

"You..." Captain Auder stared in cold frustration. "You goddamn roach!"

Captain Auder pulled the trigger again on his minigun, but Rhiem was quicker on the draw with his gun. He pulled his trigger three times; the magnum slugs slammed into the minigun appendage on the right claw of the EX Tiger, and sent the entire arm flying back from the impact. As the arm reached it's zenith, the slugs destroyed the minigun with their explosions, leaving the former weapon nothing more than a heap of twisted pipes and levers.

"Damn!" Captain Auder clenched his teeth, and brought both his hands down. He sent the EX Tiger into a crouching position, and sent his machine lunging at Rhiem. Yet this time, Rhiem could see through, this too.

Rhiem took a step forwards, and tilted his head a bit to his left. The huge machine missed his face by a hair, but to Rhiem it was like it missed by miles.

The EX Tiger hit the ground hard, and then did a haphazard 180. It swung at Rhiem, the left claw slicing towards his face. Rhiem leapt up a bit, and clung onto the EX Tiger's left claw. Captain Auder was beyond expressing his rage over this humiliation by now, he was deathly focused on the task on hand, killing Rhiem.

A massive swing of the arm sent Rhiem flying off the claw, yet he landed on his feet, and had a grim smile on his face.  
Captain Auder saw this face, and immediately knew something was wrong.  
He glanced at his left arm, and saw, at the elbow joint, small white packet of clay-like material with a lone blinking light sticking out.

Semtex.

"Shi-"  
Suddenly, the white packet flashed in a brilliant flare, and blew the entire left claw off the EX Tiger.  
The claw flew up into the air, and struck into the snow, fifty feet away.

Meanwhile, The EX Tiger, out of balance, fell over and over, and rolled, closer and closer to the edge of the deadly slope. The left back leg and the tail hung precariously over the edge, with Captain Auder barely hanging onto the edge.  
He tried to pull the EX Tiger up, but between only one arm, and two pitifully weak legs, it was an impossible task.  
The Tiger was crippled.  
The battle was finished, Rhiem had won.

Rhiem shifted to the side, readying to finish Auder off with a slug to the heart. He kept a good distance away from the Captain, as Rhiem knew how wounded animals can fight.  
"Captain! Surrender now, or I'll be forced to end you!" Rhiem brought the Fallen Tigress up. He kept the barrel pointed cautiously at the harness of where Captain Auder hung.  
The Captain took a while, as if still comprehending the fact that he lost.

"Heheheh..."  
"..." Rhiem felt a bit uncomfortable with the Captain's calmness. "What's so funny?"

"Rhiem! You won't get your way! I'm not going to surrender, not to your demands!" Captain Auder brought the last, functional arm up.  
"Goodbye, kid. I always thought of you like a son. "

Rhiem stood there, and realized what Captain Auder planned.  
"No--!"  
Captain Herus Auder brought the arm down. And pushed, and sent himself tumbling down the endless slope. The broken body of the EX Tiger fell deeper against the ever-steeper and steeper slope, faster and faster, deadlier and deadlier, towards the unyielding bottom.

Yet, Captain Auder felt unnaturally calm. He closed his eyes, feeling the icy wind rush past his face.

_SLAP!_

_"You're too soft! Don't be afraid of the pain!" __  
__A sharp slap came across his cheek, and Young Herus grit his teeth in frustration at his father, who was furious over belating his son's tears.__  
__"What do I need to learn pain for, anyhow? I'm not looking for it!" Herus yelled. _

_Captain Auder gripped Rhiem's hair tight, and pulled him up._

_"You think war is sunshine and daises?!" Elder Auder roared! "How can you expect to fight against the pain that your loved ones are suffering if you don't even know what it is?"_

_"Then--" Young Herus yelled back, "I'll just protect everyone! So that they won't suffer, and neither will I!"__  
__"You're too naive!" Captain Auder said. "You won't protect a single soul that way with your selfish thinking!"__  
__"Well," Rhiem yelled back, "Who's innocence do I first protect? Mine, or others?!"_

_"You fool! War-is-Sacrifice!" Elder Auder roared,__  
__"You fool! War-is-Sacrifice!" Captain Auder roared,_

_"War!" Young Herus roared, "Is!" He swept his arm across the training tools, sending it scattering around their family training room.__  
__"War!" Rhiem roared,"Is!" He swept his hand across the combat equipment,sending it scattering around the Rubine firebase armory.__  
__"Us!"__  
__"Us!"_

_"So screw you!"_

Captain Auder didn't even notice the tremendous impact. But he knew it happened. His spine was snapped in two. he knew his neck was broken, and at least one of his lungs collasped. And yet, he never felt better in his entire life.  
"Rhiem... you inherit my legacy. My duty against your honor..." Herus Auder slumped forwards, his harness suspending him. Blood trickled down his face.  
"You...wi..n..."


	13. Chapter 15

21

Pilot of Eagle One wiped the cold, sticky sweat from his eyes for the umpteenth time. Already, 2/5ths of their force was gone, wiped out from an ambush by the great wyvoid Dao Ku-Long. The power... majesty... and cruelty that the Dao Ku-Long fought with would be terrifying to even the hardiest warriors. Eagle One' s pilot had frayed nerves already. Every second not spent looking out the night sky, flying, was spent staring fearfully at the radar sweep, dreading the blip that would signify the second coming of the Dao.

He glanced back. The girl who was pleading with his to stop flying was asleep now, tired from over two hours of begging and crying. Personally, the pilot would be more than glad to pull over, and run away, but he had a family to feed, and the Rubine Air Force life insurance was a good amount...

Just looking at the girl's peaceful face calmed the pilot's nerves. She reminded him of his daughter, back in the capital.

With a new strength, he shot up the mountain, somewhat calmer for the flight. There was only a couple hundred feet left to the top, and he was prepared to meet hi--

The Dao Ku-Long slammed into the side of the VJTT. Sharp claws crushed, and punctured the windshield, sticking only a foot away from the pilot's face.

So he wasn't that prepared.

The Dao flung the VJTT with a tremendous flap of it's wings, and a swing of the legs that held onto it. The ten-ton aircraft was sent tumbling onto the summit, like a child's toy. Through all the confusion, the pilot managed to key his mike.

"Men! Prepare of impac-" The craft slammed into the ground, tearing itself on the rocky ground. The heap of metal then spun, and rolled, tumbling into a wall, where it finally lay at rest.

Inside, was impossible to tell what had happened. Riu's world was a blend of darkness and small lights; she tried to find up, but up seemed to go in three different ways. She threw up, but didn't even know where. The only hearing she had was a constant, searing screech.

"Uagh..." She tried to feel her way through the crumbled craft. A breath of cold air, and a creaking of weakned metal, and she fell through a hole. "Agh!" She slammed into the cold, hard rock of the summit of mount Et.

Her vision finally stopped spinning, and her surroundings were clear. Three crags of rock struck upwards from the summit, and one crag was left broken, on the ground. In the center of the crags was an arena of some sorts, with a recharging station for the Dao. It was long left in pieces, broken out of boredom.

The Dao Ku-Long flew down, the bloody body of a hunter in it's jaws, from the last remaining VJTT. Hawk Five was left in pieces, a hundred feet down the slope, no survivors. Hawk Two was smashed upon the other side of the summit, with the few survivors of the craft stumbling out.

Riu looked back on her craft; the men were alive, but injured beyond salvation. The only able people left from her craft was a handful of Rubine snowtroopers, and their pilot, who didn't even have a gun.  
The Dao Ku-Long stood proud upon it's throne, a lord in every likeness. Now the last thing to do was to drive the intruders from his fortress.

The remnants of the survivors of the flight were gathering. The Veteran hunter, Riu, a pilot, a dozen snowtroopers and a handful of hunters.

Out of over two hundred previous fighters, only them. Hope died instantly.

"Hunters!" The Veteran rallied, "We fight to the end!"  
Each man raised his weapon in the air.  
"RAH!"

And so it began. The Dao Ku-Long sent a scythe of freezing air slicing through the summit. Almost every man managed to avoid the attack. All but one hunter. The man's insides immediately froze solid, and losing it's elasticity, he tumbled away in two pieces.

The Dao Ku-Long then charged, scattering the men everywhere. A mane of freezing winds started at the Dao's neck, and spun through the troops. The men were sent flying, and landed hard on the summit. The Dao swept it's long neck to the side, and a snowtrooper was sent flying off the mountain, screaming. The man would be dashed against the side of the mount by the strong winds.

The Dao then sent it's winds whipping into something like a flame-thrower, licking and freezing the men the winds touched. One man was stuck, and he was frozen into a statue in seconds.

"Men!" The Veteran called, "Fire!" Every man pulled his weapon up, and pelted the Dao Ku-Long with rounds. But each round was caught, and swept away in the continual wind armor of the Dao Ku-Long.

With a roar from the Dao, the winds shot out, with the bullets still inside, and cut through the troops.

One Rubine snowtrooper was hit in the knee, and he crumbled, right before the Dao Ku-Long.  
The Dao raised a vicious claw, ready to nail the hapless snowtrooper through the chest.

"NO!" Riu cut through the air, and her shimmer appeared. The shimmer arced through the air, and cut through the Dao's wind armor, through the black claw of Dao, and separated weapon from beast.  
Losing the lethal edge, the claw merely knocked the wind out of the snowtrooper, but put him out of the fight.

"GRRAA!"  
The Dao observed this new threat. A creature which could hurt him? Impossible.

Still, it reasoned, better to end it now. The Dao sucked in it's wind through it's mouth, and exhaled it all over Riu. She stood almost motionless, with her blade raised and ready.

The Veteran leapt up in horror.  
"Riu! No!" The wind then cleared, with Riu still standing. Her AG saber was raised, and the winds of the Dao Ku-Long spun around the thin blade, in a mini-vortex.  
Her hair flew with the churning winds in her blade, and she lowered the blade to her side, and sheathed the AG saber, winds and all.

"Not anymore." She drew her blade at blinding speeds, and the winds burst out of the sheath. "I haven't been spending my time doing nothing, Rhiem..."  
The swirling wave rocketed towards the Dao. The Wyvoid was caught off-guard, and could not hold against it's own winds so suddenly. It slammed against one of the crags of the mountain, denting the black armor good, and twisting it's wing in a bad way.

"Every day, every moment, I trained to grow stronger..."

Wind started to form at the Dao's mouth, and it's limbs tensed up in a very animal-like way. It was angry.

No more playing. The Dao flew into the air, and set itself at the highest crag. With the flashing of one of two soul gears, it's soul pulse was released. Vortex Blade.

Wind started to condense, snow from the lower slope collected, and whipped up a blinding snowstorm. The winds turned into a jagged point far above the mountain, and started catching together. Layer after layer of snow tempered over and over into the form, turning into a huge blade of ice.

Every man gazed up in horror at the reverse pyramid of frost and ice. The form grew larger and larger at the very end, and added huge, beautiful wings to the pyramid.

And then it fell.

The blade caught a piece of light as the first of the edge smashed into the summit. The pyramid then shattered, sending shrapnel the size of Volkswagens scattering all over the place. Some soldiers and hunters dodged them. Some were bisected or impaled by the huge pieces of ice. Their blood splattered the summit in small, contained blotches against the white snow.

Riu stumbled a bit, twisted away from an edge of ice that sliced an inch from her face. She fell a bit, noticing only then that she stood in the center of a rapidly shrinking shadow. The final sword of frost, the massive left wing of the shard of ice, spun towards Riu. The huge blade-wing was the size of a small whale, and could easily slice one in half.

It bounced off the tip, and started sliding in a deadly horizontal spin...  
She could do nothing, but try to duck down and dodge the blade...

A grenade spun through the air, and stuck into the wing; the small explosive blinked, and then detonated in a spectacular explosion. A cloud of white dust flew everywhere, splitting the wing in half.  
Riu stood motionless, as she watched the pieces fall away from her, and tear up on both sides of her.  
Her hair blew in every direction as the wall of wind pressure from the ice wing slammed into her form.

She looked up.

"RHIEEEM!"

Rhiem landed, kneeled, Fallen Tigress in one hand, and a M67 grenade in the other.  
"Riu! Get down!" He lunged at her, and slammed the two of them down. The Dao Ku-Long swept over them, razor sharp wings slicing up the air above them, the vicious edge missing them by inches.

Rhiem called out to the Veteran.  
"Old Man! Call the troops back! We're the only ones who can fight it!"

Normally, the Veteran would had been taken back at the boy's foolishness. But too many good men had died today.  
"Men! Fall back to the crags! Focus on self-preservation!"

Reluctantly, the troops withdrew to the edges, keeping their eyes to the skies.

Riu turned to Rhiem.  
"Rhiem! How?" Rhiem looked to the sky.  
"Him again." A crude, but silent stealth helicopter beat down from above. The Merchant clung onto a rope with his only hand, and rappelled down the rest of the length.

The Merchant nimbly slammed down onto the ground, especially impressive, considering his peg leg.  
"Heh heh! I never miss a good catch, and ya know it!" The Merchant cupped this hook to his mouth. (Old habits die hard) and called out to the pilot.  
"Mike! I'll meet ya later! Get yer ass outta here, or we won't have a ride back!"  
'Mike' gave a thumbs up, and pulled the Heli back.

"When..." Riu stammered, "When did you?"  
"We were taliing ya. Picked yer boyfriend up after he trashed that Exoskeleton, and gave him a lift."

Rhiem stepped in.  
"But now, I think we have a dream team here."  
Rhiem, Riu, The Veteran, and The Merchant.

Against the Dao Ku-Long.  
The Dao growled, and charged up a burst of wind. All four of them readied themselves.

Riu glanced at Rhiem.  
"Rhiem... I'll show you how far I've come!"  
"As long as you're still safe, I'm good." The Dao lunged forwards. Rhiem yelled, "Go!"

All at once, the four of the split, and the wind blast swirled through the empty center.  
Riu charged up an air blade, and swung it towards the Dao. This time, it caught the edge, and sent it flying back to it's owner.

Riu leapt to the side, and barely missed the flying edge, and let Rhiem race past her. He drew four packets of C4, specially packed for the fight, and threw them all at once at the Dao. The wind armor caught the explosives once again, but Rhiem was too fast for it. He slammed the detonator, and set off all four C4s at once. The Dao stumbled from the impact, and recovered, doing a barrel roll; taking to the skies.

It flew as high as it could, trying to flee it's attackers.

"Forget 'bout me?" The Merchant clung to a crook in the Dao Ku-Long's neck. He raised his good hand, on it, a magnum.

The powerful round spun the Wyvoid out of control, and sent it plumeting back to the earth. It hit the ground with a thunderous impact; the Merchat nimbly jumped off at the last second, and landed perfectly on his hand and foot. The Dao Ku-Long struck deep into the summit, pulling itself up with difficulty.

"One more" The Veteran, with his giant Gunhammer, slammed the Dao's face. The krack of a 500 caliber round slamming into the Dao's face split across the howling of the winds.

The first of the two soul gears of the Dao broke off, and tumbled into the snow. Unlike the others, this soul gear shone with brilliance, and flashed a beautiful silver stone in it's center. It fell unnoticed.

Slowly, the Dao got up. It's face was cracked. The front right claw had lost it's edge. Spiderweb fractures spun across the body of the Dao. It was truly injured now. It set itself gently on the summit. Openings began to form. The chest plate expanded, and fell away.

A boy, no older than 19, woke from inside. His dark black hair fell in bunches down his face, and ended in edges and spikes just below his eyes.

He opened his eyes.

Rhiem drew his Fallen Tigress up.  
"You... who are you?"

The boy looked at him.  
"Operator of the Dao. Who the hell are you..." Without warning, the boy drew a dark knife, and threw it at Rhiem. Rhiem just managed to duck, and the blade sliced past his eye.

"Gah!"

"And why...*yawn* did you wake me?"

* * *

22

"Hm? You humans managed the destroy one of Magdalene's Memories?" He gazed up at the Dao's snout, where the first Soul Gear once was held. The Boy cricked his neck a bit, completely nonchalant.  
"How vexing."

"Erk!" Rhiem held his hand up to his face. Blood seeped slowly from his check, from a cut formed in a perfect line.

"You know," The boy said, "It's rude not to answer people..." He drew a second knife. "When they're talking!" He flung the blade at Rhiem a second time. This time, the Veteran deflected the knife with a swipe of his prothetic metal limb.

"Hm!" The Boy smirked. "So you guys have moves, do you?"  
The Veteran stared at the boy, calmly, and with iron.  
"You... you're an elite Archeries operator, aren't you?"

The Boy nodded. A hint of condescension rung in his words.  
"God, a giant war machine isn't enough of a hint? Damn humans."  
The Veteran's eyes narrowed.  
"So... we kill you, we kill the Dao."

The boy took a second to digest these words... while the Merchant raised his magnum.

"Heh."

KAM! KAM!

The boy still stood there thinking.  
"Huh. You humans make it sound so.... easy, to kill me, that is."  
The huge arm of the Dao moved away, in mirror with the boy's, as the two Magnum rounds clinking off the armor.

"You fools forget that the bond between a high-level Archeries Operator and his partner is far greater than anything you humans could imagine!"

The boy charged, straight at the four, the Dao soaring up, and mimicking his movements...  
"Hahahah! Die!"

Rhiem tried to dodge the Wyvoid, but he was too slow.  
"Gah!" The Dao crunched upon Rhiem's arm, and dragged him across the mountain summit. With a flick of it's neck, it sent Rhiem slamming into the mountain crag.

Twenty feet below, the boy lowered his hand, after imitating throwing a discus.

The Veteran appeared behind him, sending the gunhammer crashing down. The Boy only had to sidestep slightly, and the metal hammer slammed into the summit, where it crushed rock.

Smirking, the Boy placed a hand on the Veteran's shoulder.

"Nice moves." The Boy drew another dark knife, and slammed it into the Veteran's shoulder.

"Aggh!" The Veteran stumbled back, gritting his teeth. The man then charged the Boy like a bull.

All the Boy had to do was flick his arm, and the long, sinuous tail of the Dao struck the Veteran in the stomach, sending the huge, 7ft hunter flying. The Veteran hit his head on the rock, and slumped forwards, unconscious.

"No!" Riu screamed, and ran towards to Veteran, blade drawn. The Boy laughed, slamming his palm down. The Dao's claw clamped down on Riu, crushing her.

"Aggh! Let me go!"

"Hey! Sonny boy!" The Merchant drew two guns, cocking both. "Cool off fer a b--" The Dao's other claw slapped the Merchant, open palmed, sending the cockney man into a crag.

All around, no one was left.  
Smirking, the Boy turned around, and glanced at Riu.  
"Huh. Nice hair..." He knelt down. "Y'Know, I don't have a lot to do way up her--"

KAM! KAM!

A few clumps of black hair drifted off the Boy's front bangs.  
He smiled, and turned.

Rhiem, badly injured, and breathing heavily, he leveled the Fallen Tigress. Blood matted his face, and his gun was cracked down the side.  
"You.. stay.." He fell forwards, hitting the snow hard. "Awa...God..damn..."

The Boy chuckled, his eyes closed. He felt the the frayed ends of his bangs.  
"You humans crack me up." The Boy held his hand up aimed at Riu; the Dao opened it's maw.

"Good bye." The Dao sucked in the air, preparing a final wind blast.  
Riu's face was down in the snow. She couldn't hear, she couldn't feel, she couldn't breathe.

----

Her hand clenched on something hard.

haa..........

The Boy looked up, confused. That noise did not come from his machine.  
"What's going on?" He grit his teeth. "Hurry, Kniev. We'll have to end it soo-"

The claw of the Dao raised up a bit.

"Kniev? What--" The claw of the flew upwards, sliced off in a perfect arc. The Boy gazed upon his machine's injury in horror. "What?"  
Riu stepped slowly out. Her hands gripped two shining blades, not one. Her eyes faced downwards, where they could not be seen.

On her sternum, the soul gear with the shining silver stone in the middle.

"No..." The Boy drew a knife, his hand shaking in anger; his face contorted in a snarl. "THAT'S MIINE! YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!"

----

Rhiem woke up, breathing snow.  
He pulled himself up.  
"R...iu?"  
Riu was curled in a ball, far away from everyone on the summit. A few of the soldiers were securing the scene. A couple of them were crowded around the destroyed body of the Dao.  
"Riu?"  
Her head twitched, but she didn't move.  
"Riu? What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Rhiem put a hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it away.  
"Riu?"  
"Not mine..."  
"What?"  
"...thoughts, this life... is not mine..." Tears rolled down her cheeks. Her eyes were downcast, and shaded. She gripped her two swords, and the now-faded Soul Gear in her hand. The silver stone was lifeless and cold now.  
"Rhiem!" She gripped him tight, and sobbed.  
The soldier remaining marveled and gagged at the sight, of just a young man, torn to bloody shreds by a force that they had seen, that would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

----

_1487_

Father Patronus walked slowly through the abbey garden. Rows of lush, green plants waved in the wind. He gazed up at the beautiful spring sky, so blue and majestic in this humble village!  
The lavenders were blossoming, and the poppies were growing flush in the afternoon sun.

How he loved these days so!

He spied a small figure, crouched in the tomato plants, with unnaturally silver hair, and delicate hands.

"(Riu)! How are thine plants growing?"

The girl looked up, and broke into a happy smile.  
"Father! They're growing very well!" She brought up a blossoming tomato. "Look! So beautiful!"

Father Patronus beamed at the girl, and bent over to admire her works. The two shared an interest in gardening, and the good Father frequently gave the young orphan tips on how to grow the plants better.

They talked well into the evening, when the sun had turned red, and the dark stones of the abbey walls shone a fiery red. The bell tolled, and the clergy scurried back to their quarters.

The two were walking down an old corridor, chatting.  
"Father, I'm so glad to be able to live here!"  
"Is that so, (Riu)? You don't wish for parents?"  
For a second, Riu was struck dumb.  
"Well, I would very much like to see them, yes. But..." She looked up, her silver hair dancing in the light. "But my real home is here, Father, with you!"

The good Father smiled, and looked out.  
"Hm? (Riu)! We have talked a bit too late. Thou be late for your choir practice with Sister Sonia."  
"Oh... Right! I... I will greet you in the morning, Father!"

The Father smiled at the girl who hurried off to the chapel. The poor girl had no friends, no mother, father, or relatives to care for her. It was up to the Church to care for the orphan. It did his heart good to know his legacy would breathe on in the lives of the young folk.

Walking slowly back, he made his way to bed. Fifty-nine was really too old to be working...

----

Up in the mountains, the Rioreusu gnashed it's teeth. It's plague was spreading, making it feel like his legs were on fire! It's vision was hazy, and it could barely walk, but it's very movements were of unnatural power. It's tail accidently crushed rocks as it went in spasms, and it had to waste trees and large bears just to sate it's constantly locking and unlocking jaws.

It lumbered down to the small village of Tyre, where a small abbey was set upon a hill over-looking the place. It set off for there.

----

The Father was lying in bed, after finishing his prayers, and reading his book. There was something off tonight... like the very air was pushing on his chest.

Ah well, he thought. Nothing some good rum couldn't fix. He brought out a fifty-year old bottle, and dumped in it's last drops. His tongue had just been whet when his assistant burst in.  
"Father! A demon! A demon has struck our abbey!"

Damn.

The alarm bell rung, sending those on their nighttime shifts reporting to the Abbey warden. The Warden hurried to unlock a long chest in depths of the watch house, and brought out many, many thick staves. It was time to fight. Young men no older than twenty-five scrambled to defend their abbey and their lives from a true demon.

Outside, in the courtyard, the plagued Rioreusu howled at it's own pain, and it's own rage. More than thirty men had come out to strike it with blunt objects, and causing it no end of annoyance.

The Plague increasing it's power, the plagued rioreusu breathed out a cloud of diseased flame, sending the fighters of the abbey scattering. With a couple of snaps with the jaw, the courtyard was almost cleared.

It lumbered towards the great hall, to where the women and children were being safeguarded.

----

The Father looked with downcast eyes at the bodies. Their faces were horribly burned by disease, twisted and reddened by fire and bacteria. Only ten minutes, and they had lost five.

"Antonio, Salerio, Brunis, Luther, and Gregory." He bowed his head. "Mei Vos Invadio Pacies."

The Father looked up.  
"Quarterman Ewan."  
"Yes Father?"  
"Call the men back."  
"But Fathe-"  
"Now."  
"....Yes Father."  


_Alone, Father Patronus wandered to an ancient picture of their savior. He removed it, and climbed through a hole in the back. Through the dusty tunnel, he came to the end of the secret passageway. A small shrine, with a long, thin, chest was set up. Slow-burning candles lit the area up. An ancient painting of a warrior, holding a silver saber against a demonic figure, hung above the chest._

Ewan had wandered in, confused  
"What...Father, what is this place?"

Father Patronus ran his hands softly over the thin chest.  
"Ewan. Are the men called back?"  
"Y-Yes." Father Patronus was never like this!  
"Good. I'll will take care of it."

Ewan was struck dumb.  
"Father, you haven't been a hunter in over thirty years! We gave up our past lives for this!" He hadn't noticed Father's thick and sturdy figure before, but now!

"Ewan... We live to protect this sacred blade." The Father clicked open the silver locks; the locks twisted away, leaving a beautifully carved handle to be admired.  
"This sacred blade is all we stand for right now." He opened the chest, carefully. "We have served it well for centuries." He brought the sword up. "And now we shall see how our devotion is appreciated!"

He drew the blade up.  
"SING! Azumaria!" The blade hummed, but did not sing.

And for the first time in his clergy life, Father Patronus swore.

----

The plagued Rioreusu was half-limping to the abbey hall now. The infection had spread to it's chest. It's only goal now was to inflict as much pain as possible before it died.

Yet, in it's way, stood a man. Clothed in a black robe, and holding a small, silver saber.  
It could no understand the man's words, but it understand his meaning just fine. A challenge.

Die, it roared. Crawl into your holes, and die.

----

Riu crawled out from under the rubble. The small chapel had been one of the first buildings hit.  
"Sonia?" Riu called, "Sister?" There was no one. Riu pulled herself up, and then heard a terrible roar in the distance.  
Completely missing the grotesque, crushed hand that lay limp in her path, Riu hurried to the main abbey.

----

"Raggh!" The Father spun around, as his arm was bathed in yet another round of plagued fire. The plague clung to his left arm, infecting it and turning it a dark crimson.

The Father ran forwards, and cleaved off the ear of the the rioreusu, causing it to roar in pain.

Already, the Father's leg, shin, arm, and right side of his face was plagued. They were slowly growing numb, and soon would be useless.

The Rioreusu had barely it's ear cut off, and it's left wingtip. The victor was decided.  
The Father, panting, called out,  
"Come! Demon spawn! I still have time to end you here!"

The plagued rioreusu roared in affirmation, and charged the Father. The Father willed his feet to move, but they would not obey. The Father was flung  
like a ragdoll into a solid stone wall, breaking several bones, and ending him.

The plagued rioreusu roared in triumph, and lumbered over to the great abbey hall, where the terrified denizens of the village trembled and shook in fear.

"Father!" Riu came hurrying over to Father Patronus' side.  
"(Riu)! Stay back!"  
Too late. The rioreusu noticed fresh prey. It lumbered over to it's new target.

"(Riu), you must listen, take this blade, and give it to Marcus, he must defend the abbey wi...(Riu)!"  
Riu had taken Azumaria, and held it at it's balanced form.

The winds began to blow, and the air turned to electricity.  
"It couldn't be...(Riu)?"

Riu held Azumaria high, and called out,  
"Sing! Azumaria!"  
Howling, the silver blade sung a fever pitch, shimmering and bending in the new morning light.

The plagued rioreusu was near death now, but it's power was at it's peak at this moment, and it's rage unequaled.  
GRAAAH!

The beast charged Riu.  
Riu barely glanced up.  
"I'm sorry you have to suffer, great beast. Go in peace." Riu swung Azumaria, and it cleaved through the rioreusu's skull like a knife through paper. The great beast, having no more brain, collasped in a sideways heap at Riu's feet.

"My God... (Riu)!"

Riu hurried to Father Patronus.  
"Father!" She hugged him, although the dying Father could not feel anymore.  
"(Riu)... so you were the one. The holy abbey of Tyre has been searching for you for a very, very long time."  
"Father! Please, stay with me!"  
The Father laughed weakly.  
"Young one. I am glad, and honored to have been a part of your life." The Father slipped a gold badge into Riu's hands. The badge had on it, a wyvern with a sword in it's neck.  
"(Riu)" The father swallowed dryly. "Find your destiny to the west. With the hunters. My Holy Maiden... Goodbye."

"Father?"

"Father!"

"FATHER!"  


Not my memories, not my memories, not my memories, not my memories, not my

No


	14. Chapter I've stopped counting

23

Her eyes slowly opened. The world outside was fresh, green, and warm.  
The blurriness slowly faded into clarity. The dead trees swayed slowly in the warm wind, and the dirty road the truck Riu was riding in seemed so much warmer.

It was Ootya. It's bluff that it was set on was bathed in sunlight, the tent-houses that it's people lived in were clean, and colorful. The red dirt that made up most of it's surface was as blazing as rubies.

She lifted her head off of Rhiem's shoulder, who was dozing off at the end of the cargo truck.  
The open air, the blue sky, the rushing wind... The Ootya gate!  
"I'm back..."

The truck pulled into the rubble arch that was the Ootya gate, followed by several identical trucks.

A boy who was washing his feet at the edge, yelped, and ran out into the center of the village.  
"There they are!"  
He ran from street to street, spreading the news.  
"They're back!" He yelled, alerting the whole village. Men who were brushing their teeth, women who were setting the laundry for the mid-noon sun, and children who were playing in the streets, they all stopped, and looked at one another.

"They're back."  
"Our heroes!"

Riu couldn't believe her eyes. People, all around her, cheering. They clustered around the truck, and reached in to grip her hand, and yell her name with praise. Confused, she looked about for a familiar face.

Chief Sakami. The small girl cut through the crowd easily, aided by her personal bodyguards, and pulled herself into the truck. She looked up, and grinned. Riu felt her eyes get moist.

"Chief..."  
"We heard about your victory against the Dao Ku-Long." The Chief's smile widened. "Welcome to the victory party."  
"Ah!" With a yell, Riu hugged the Chief, and held tight. The Chief, slightly embarrassed, glanced at Rhiem, who was leaning against the front of the truck's compartment.  
The Chief cracked a grin, which spread to Rhiem's face.  
"You're back." The Chief mouthed.  
He glanced down, covering his grinning face.  
Riu looked at all of them, her eyes misty.  
"We're all back. Together. Finally."

Home.

Rhiem's grin widened.

"Another round!"

"Two more beers over here!"

"For our heroes!"  
The village of Ootya had a historic feast. Every family, every house, every person was affected by the destruction of the Dao, causing a huge lifting of fear that blanketed the the whole village, the whole world. People from every single region celebrated their new beginning of hope, never again having to live every year, knowing that their sister or brother next to them may not live. The destruction of the Dao created a huge vacuum, where once was fear, now flooded relief.

Happiness flooded everywhere, except one place...

"W-Well, that's it, my lady."  
The trembling messenger was sweating, from head to toe, frozen in place. His head was bowed, small drops of cold perspiration, not daring to look at the fearsome sight a few yards away. His knees knocked a bit against each other, and his breaths were quick and ragged.

"The Dao? Really? Destroyed?" The woman lying sideways on the throne chuckled. "No kidding."

The woman turned, and sat up. "Thank you, Myli."

The messenger, still terrified, knelt down and bowed until his nose touched the ground. He then scurried as fast away as he could respectfully. The messenger walked/ran down the dark throne room to the freedom and light of the exit.  
The man took one step outside, before his head flew twenty feet away from his body.

Thud! The body fell with a dramatic splat.

"I'm surprised you didn't do it yourself, Mother." A lean, slim boy stepped out from behind a giant pillar. Blood dripped from his hand. The Messenger's blood.  
"Don't push me, Cyrus." The woman on the throne checked her fingernails. "You should stop acting so impatiently. I'll run out of men to serve me."

The woman lithely stepped off the throne. Elegance and power reverberated with her every footfall.  
"In other news, how do you like your new body?"

Cyrus looked at his arm.  
"What, this? I wanted a STRONG body, Mother. What is this weakling's strength?"  
"Ha, Cyrus, Cyrus. Strength is not everything in a body. Have you even checked into this poor boy's thoughts at all?"  
Cyrus scoffed. "No."  
"Check again." The woman tapped the side of her head. "His memories. This boy had made a friend lately, hasn't he?"  
Cyrus closed his eyes. "mm...Tsh. Yeah."  
"And who was with this friend?"  
"Um..."  
"And who is that person, with that friend?"

"I... see..." Cyrus opened his eyes. His mouth opened in a dangerous smile. "...Yeta!"  
Cyrus turned around, and strode out the exit, not even looking down at the headless body strewn across the threshold.

Cyrus went down a huge set of stairs, when a young girl sitting off the side stopped him.  
"Brother Cyrus, you got news on Sister, didn't you?"  
"...Yes, Jade, I did."

"Yeta's not doing so well where she is."  
Jade hung her head, tears forming.  
"Is Sister ever coming back?"  
Cyrus, putting on a magnificent, convincing look of pain, said slowly:  
"I don't think so."

"Rhiem... look at the sky." Riu was curled up on a dirt bluff at the edge of the village. Rhiem was lying on a grass patch a foot above her. "The night sky is beautiful."  
The sky was filled with stars, twinkling like jewels, their light scattered by the ash and dust in the air. As if the sun decided to pull a thin blanket over it's face.

Rhiem looked up.

"I think..." Riu leaned up to look closer, at a star that was zipping across the sky. "It's a shooting star!"  
"That's a plane."  
"Well, that-"  
"Another plane."  
"Ugh!"  
"Heh."  
"Rhiem..." Riu closed her eyes. "I want to make a wish. On that star."  
"Well, actually, that's a radio-"  
"Shut up. I want to wish that we'll always be together. Through thick or thin."  
Rhiem smiled, and laid back.  
"It's my wish too, Riu." He frowned. "But I wonder why there are some many damn planes in the sk-"

The crunch of dirt a few yard above alerted Rhiem.  
"Hey."

Both Rhiem and Riu turned, and gaped.  
Her red-brown hair was cut short, and her designer clothes were gone, replaced by a more modest shirt and fitting pants. Her eyes had a new disquiet to them, like they had died down a bit, and her normally wide-smiling mouth was closed softly in elegance.

"Tiana!"  
Tiana smiled, but this time her mouth was closed, and she seemed calmer.  
"It's good to see you again."

Riu leaped up, and hugged Tiana, hard around the chest.  
"Tiana... I'm so sorry about Noa."  
"Noa... there's some irony, isn't it? I guess it is true, you really do have-" She fumbled a bit, her voice cracking. "Ha-have to lose stuff to know you need it."

Rhiem stood up, watching Riu slowly come out of Tiana's embrace.  
"Tiana, what have you been doing since we left? You left so suddenly."  
She smiled, a more defeated smile than before.  
"I quit singing. There's just something in it that lost it's novelty." She smirked a bit at Rhiem and Riu's stunned faces. "Don't worry, I'm working as a diplomat now. Plus, I've got enough money to shut both my agent and my parents up."

Riu shook her head.  
"I'm so sorry, that your life was changed so much."  
Rhiem came in, with a stoic face.  
"War changes lives. It's how it is."

They all stood there, silent for a bit.

Tiana recovered first, grasping Riu's hand, and raising it.  
"Well, Rhiem, I hope you don't mind if I steal Riu again." She smiled at Riu. "We have some catching up to do, sister." The two left for Tiana's tent, leaving Rhiem standing under the now-dark night sky. There was a new moon that night, so the area was blackened to a high degree.

Rhiem shook his head, smiling. As long as they were happ-

No.  
Something was wrong.  
The hairs on his neck pricked up, and his instincts began to run wild. It was all Rhiem could do but to stop his legs from sprinting off in terror.  
But what was it?

"What?"  
Shivering, he looked up at the sky.

A huge section of the stars in the sky were now black.  
"What the-"

Thud.

He turned his head to face the noise. It sounded like... landing.  
"Who's there?" Rhiem, his hand shaking uncontrollably, grasped his Fallen Tigress, and raised it up. "Answer!"__

Violent... Aren't you?

"What!" Rhiem yanked his gun to face his flank.__

Watch out with those things, they're dangerous. You could put someone's eyes out with it.

A rush of wind, and Rhiem felt the Fallen Tigress rip itself from his grasp, and slam into the rock bluff, breaking the tempered black steel into threads.  
With a growl, Rhiem drew his machete, and tomahawk, still shaking like a rabbit.__

Hey now... Don't worry. I'm not here to fight, but-

"-Here to warn." A tall boy, with... with silver hair stepped out of the shadows, his hands raised. "About someone very close to you."  
"WHO ARE YOU?" Rhiem roared, his weapons tensing.  
"Me? I'm a lot of things. Call me Cyrus."  
"If you don't... don't shut up, and give me an answer, I'll rip you to shreds."  
"Ugh. Rubine Yee-Haws are the same everywhere."  
Cyrus pulled out a futuristic handgun, its laser sight dancing lethally on Rhiem's center of mass. "Now I have your attention? Good."

Cyrus started pacing about, never taking his gun off Rhiem.  
"I'm here to warn you, in a couple month's time, me, Archeria, is going to attack. You, specifically."  
"Wh-"  
"Because, we're coming for something that belongs to us." Behind him, the huge blot of area where stars no longer shone started moving. The space of nothing lumbered over until it loomed over Cyrus. Rhiem could faintly hear the groaning and whining of metal joints.  
Lumbering, huge, and powerful, a white-gray foot, the size of a flatbed truck, slipped out of the inky night and slammed onto the ground next to Cyrus.  
"And you have no chance of surviving when we do."

"Why are you-?"  
"Also, tell anyone that I spoke with you about this, and these two beauties die by me, personally. That I can guarantee."

Cyrus flicked a small photo at Rhiem. Rhiem glanced at it for a second. It was a black and white picture, of Riu and Tiana singing at a Karaoke!  
"What? How'd you get this picture? Why are you doing this?"

Cyrus looked up, pondering.  
"I do this because crave... fear. Hatred. It's my drug, basically what I live for." He stepped onto the foot. "And just as extra incentive to stay quiet..." Cyrus pulled down his sleeve, and Rhiem's eyes widened in horror.

"That's right." Cyrus' arm was horribly disfigured, infused with steel, in the same places as...  
"Noa's bow! His ARM!"  
"That's right. We've still got him. You don't want him to die, you be nice and good, don't tell anyone, and let the pain and fear of attack eat you inside out."

Cyrus waved cheerfully, as the colossal white-gray foot lifted him up into the black night.  
"Bye. See you soon..."

Rhiem stood there, stoic. He closed his eyes, and lifted his head.

Inside, he screamed.

* * *

24

Rubine Settlement 135: Dasioka

"We're losing ground!" The 1st Dasiokas Guard was being pushed back. Only a couple dozen men remained to guard the inner of the settlement. It's denizens hiding fearfully within it's walls, and Archeries swarming outside.

Archeria had developed a special attacker for sieges. The Hermis Heavy Ordinance Strike. Shaped like a crab, the bot had encased around it, a heavy shell, which protected fifty pounds of TNT, and sturdy, swift legs to propel itself to the target.

One HHOS managed to slam into the Dasiokas inner settlement wall, cracking a bit, before sacrificing itself in a ground-shaking tremor. The HHOS blew out in a magnificent flare, rocketing out pieces of it hundreds of yards away; the solid metal wall now had a hole in it the size of a beach ball. All over, this scene was being repeated where ever Archeria attacked. The Dasiokas Guard tried valiantly to repel them with heavy rifles and machine guns, but time and time again failed to stop the HHOSs from blowing chunks off their only protection.

Then came Archeria's other weapon. The Carver/Sapper Seige Tripod. The C/SST was also shaped like a crab, but was shaded blue and brown, and had vicious claws used for digging, carving, slaying.  
The C/SSTs slashed at the openings made by their fallen comrades, the HHOSs, widening and destroying the last protection Dasiokas had. Blue claws tore through twisted steel, making way for attack.

The Commander of Dasioka, high up in a radio tower, grit his teeth in frustration as he observed the losing battle.  
"Call in the air strike!"  
"Yes, sir!" The radio operator rattled off coordinates for the air strike. "Reconfirm, Aurora 5!"

"This is Aurora 5, Dasioka, we copy. Heading off to target." The pilot of the lead Aurora, covered by a helmet and an oxygen mask, checked with his co-pilot, who operated the bomb bay. "Auroras, move out!" Three Aurora-564 Bombers dived in from the cloud cover to strike the swarming crab robots.

"Delivering ordinance." Crude, but powerful fuel-air bombs were the Aurora's main cargo. The bombs fell, accelerated by the diving motion of the Auroras, smashed into the ruins of Outer Dasioka.

Three huge cells slammed into the ground, leaving small craters in the rubble and dust. Curious HHOSs and C/SSTs clustered around the bombs. Then, they ignited. The fuel-air bombs tore through machines, buildings, rubble, steel, and wood. In a furious explosion, the fuel-air bombs blasted three, hundred-foot wide craters where the bulk of Archeria's siege units were.  
"Ordinance delivered. Returning to ba-" The lead Aurora was smashed into by something with a lot of claws, and cruel, vicious face.

"Aggh! I'm hit!" The lead Aurora gunned it, leaving 'thing' that hit it several miles behind it. "What is it?"  
"Sir, enemy Wrath LOS in combat!... it's-it's not normal!"  
"What? What is it...?"  
"It's... It's colored gray... no, it's silver!"  
_...What? What did this mean? All Wrath LOSs were supposed to be rust colored!_  
"Engage! Switch to machine guns!"

The commander looked upon the craters with saddening approval. Half of Archeria's bots were lost in the blast.

Then, a particularly large piece of blackened building started moving.  
The commander's eyes widened.  
_That was no building!_

The Wrath LOS barrel-rolled into the soft, white clouds once more, swiftly dodging the machine-gun fire from the Auroras. The tracers tore up the pure clouds, but nothing else.  
"Shit! Asshole's fast!"

One of the Auroras skimmed across the skies, looking for the Wrath. He never saw the Wrath LOS coming. It burst from under the cloud cover, ripping the Aurora in the vulnerable underbelly with it's heavy fangs.  
"Aurora 3! Look ou-" The pilot of the lead Aurora was just shouting his warning as the Wrath LOS shot past the broken remains of the other Aurora, and it exploded as it's engines ignited it's own bomb ordinance.

"Guaaaaaaaaggh!" The pilots screamed as they were rent apart by the explosion.

The Wrath LOS spun, and started firing fireballs at the second Aurora, which had to perform a 180 to avoid collision with the Wrath LOS.

"SHIT!"  
The co-Pilot looked nervous.  
"Sir! What do we do?"  
"...Fall back." The remaining two Auroras dipped down, below radar, and flew to the east.

That... That building... The lump of rubble shifted, until it stood up straight. Giant claws marked it's front. A huge shell, blackened from the fuel-air bombs, rose from the depth of rubble. It was the Despot HHO. It stood over thirty feet tall, protected by a huge, angled shell that turned aside any blow. Huge claws protected it's front, and thin but powerful legs let the huge, crab-like thing glide over any surface.

The Despot lumbered over to the Daisokas settlement wall, slowly, like a true crab.

The commander screamed into his mic.  
"Kill that thing! Now! All troops focus fire!"  
Every guard focused his fire on the Despot, smacking against the shell of the Despot, but to no avail. Bullets splattered against the thick shell, shells glanced off the toughened steel.

The commander's eyes widened in horror as he saw the Despot reach the wall.

Huge claws opened, and then slammed hard into the steel wall. The wall buckled, and twisted.  
"All troops! Retre-"  
The huge shell of the Despot blew up. Hundreds of yards of steel fortification was immediately lost in a huge explosion, the ground shook and threatened to tear apart. Huge clouds of dust was thrown up, sweeping sending a furious hot sandstorm sweeping over Dasiokas.

Inside the mess hall, a small amount of Dasiokas residents clutched each in fear. There was fierce panic and disorder when the refugees felt the huge explosion from the Despot.  
"Mommy, I'm sacred!" A young boy started sobbing and crying; he clutched his mother.  
"Don't worry, don't cry," The mother started weeping as well. "Don't worry, daddy's far up above, he'll stop them from coming in. Don't worry, don't cry..."

The commander got up, slowly, painfully. His collarbone was snapped from the thunderous explosion. He clutched himself in the shoulder, hoping that he would stay in shock long enough to see this to the end.  
"Damage report."

"DAMAGE REPORT!"  
His lieutenant coughed, from being slammed into a desk. He glanced out the bullet-proof window. Tears fell involuntarily down his face.

"Hah...Sir... no survivors on the wall to report. We've lost the inner wall. There's only the complex structure left, sir.  
The commander clenched his teeth, trying in vain to stop the single tear from coming down his face.  
"Bring all women and children to the radio tower. We will airlift them out."

He thought about his wife and child, who were in refuge down at the mess hall.

The lieutenant looked away.  
"Sir..." He whispered. "There's too many women and children."

The commander hung his head.  
"Children only."

There were only five men guarding the complex. All over, HHOSs slammed into the building, and blew chunks off of it. The sub-machines the five men had did about as much damage as throwing pebbles into the ocean tide.

Far above next to the radio tower, a heli, made to carry up to 24 men, was being prepped for take-off.

Down below, the commander was hugging his son.  
"Kiddo... stay safe. I'll-I'll." He lay his head on his son's shoulder. "I'll be with you...soon."  
"Daddy... don't lie. Don't LIE!"  
The lieutenant dragged the nine-year old kid away from his father, tears going down his face too.  
"DAD! Don't lie! Liar! I hate you! I HATE YOU! Mom! Dad!"

"DAD!"

The commander just knelt there on the floor of the radio tower.

One of the last five remaining guards was hit by flying shrapnel. Or friendly fire. Or maybe he shot himself in the foot, it didn't matter. All that mattered was that he was done. Done for the day. he'd just get a nice rest and finish this in the morning.

The guard looked up at the sky from the wall he was sitting on. A hunk of shrapnel whizzed and nearly ricocheted onto his face, but he didn't care. There was a large heli, colored black, and with a symbol... painted on it. Some kind of symbol...

He didn't really care. He'd get to it later, he thought.

"What... Impossible!" The commander looked up in amazement.  
An unknown heli, adorned with the Guild Proper's symbol, had landed onto the radio tower!

The bay doors opened, and on one side, Guild Knights jumped out, brandishing armor-piercing short swords, and dressed in a full bomb-suits, and rappelled down to the swarming HHOSs and C/SSTs/  
On the other, Guild Shadows populated the radio tower, dressed in tan ghillie suits, and wielding heavy .50 anti-material sniper rifles.

Both wore metal armor under their suits.

The commander stared at the troops that had suddenly filled his battlefield. One guild shadow took the observation point, totally ignoring the lieutenant and the commander.  
Then, the guild chief stepped off the heli. He had pure white hair, even though he was only 50, and a pale scar ran up his knuckles. Tall, lean, and deadly, Chief Htu of the Guild Proper!

Htu stepped in the radio tower, smiling at the commander before taking command.  
All over, Guild Shadows blew holes in the crab-machines below, while Guild Knights either tore the HHOSs and C/STTs to shreds with their close-combat weapons, or they merely let the HHOSs blow themselves up around them.  
The bomb suit and heavy metal armor meant they barely noticed the tremulous explosions.

As swords flashed and bullets flew, little by little, momentum was stolen from Archeria. The Bots started falling back, injured, torn to shreds. A sweeping force came through the Guild forces, and they pushed through the bots of Archeria. Within seconds, the Diasokas military complex was completely cleared.

The commander could barely keep his mouth from hanging open. Clutching his shoulder, he went to Chief Htu, who was surveying the damage.  
He stuck out his hand, open upwards, in a sign of respect.  
"Sir. I can't tell you enough... how grateful we are." The commander bowed his head; his lieutenant did the same.

He looked up to see the small barrel of a gun.  
"Wha-"

_Piiu!_

The silenced bullet punched a deep hole in the commander's gut. On the other side of the room, the lieutenant was being similarly treated.

'...Wha? Hah..."

Htu fixed the safety on his gun, and put it back into his holster, satisfied. His smile never changed.  
Glancing at the Guild Shadow who shot the lieutenant, he nodded. Dead.  
Htu walked over, and started filling out administrative paperwork concerning Diasokas.

Down below, in the mess hall, Guild Knights were informing the Diasokas residents of their situation.  
"Don't fear us," he said. "We're here to protect you. Long has Rubina been more concerned with fighting than shielding- we will fill that role. As you can see, we the Guild have destroyed the enemy."

The Guild Knight hung his head.  
"Although we regret to inform you that Commander Farlung and Lieutenant Jacobs have been killed in action.

"Hey, Chief." A female Guild Shadow knocked on the door. "I found something hiding in the corner." The female Shadow gently pushed the commander's son in. The boy was sniffing and crying, looking at his dead father.

"Daddy..."  
The Guild Shadow ruffled the crying boy's hair.  
"Looks like this little ruffian saw something he shouldn'tve"  
Htu barely glanced from his paperwork.  
"He's a witness," Htu said, continuing writing.

"Kill him."

The commander's kid started bawling.


	15. Chapter 16

25

Chief Sakami came bursting in through the flap of her tent.  
"We...We have a problem."

A round table was set; in attendance, the Chief, the Veteran, Rhiem, Riu, Tiana, and a Guild Seame representative.  
"Alright, here's the situation." Chief Sakami swept her robed arm over the table. As the huge sleeves of the yukata flew over the hardwood table, under it, appeared a map of Rubine Settlement Dasiokas, number 135.

"Dasiokas has fallen." She looked up with a grimace on her face. On the map, a red pastel X had been drawn over where Dasiokas was.  
"Chief..." Rhiem spoke up, his eyes downcast. "It's not a surprise. Dasiokas has been under siege for years by Archeria. There were rumors that Rubine High Command was abandoning it... but the Rubina news propaganda always said that they were doing everything they could to save it."  
He shook his head. "They were left to die."  
Chief Sakami bit her lip, and her face turned from grimacing to worrying. Rhiem could then see from the bags under her eyes that Sakami had not slept in several days...

No girl, so young, should ever have to be so stressed, he thought.

She finally spoke.

"If only it were that simple. See, Dasiokas was saved at it's eleventh hour. By the Guild Proper."  
Riu frowned, and glanced at Sakami.  
"What is the Guild Proper?"  
Tiana spoke this time, "They're another guild of hunters. Officially, there are one-hundred, seventy-eight guilds in active service as of this moment."

She looked out at the group of surprised faces.  
"I had to learn all this from my diplomacy training." Tiana smiled a bit. "Anyhow, there are only three guilds that are large enough to make any significant impact. The rest are little more than local mercenary bands. The largest and most influential are Guild Seame, Guild Oilang, and Guild Proper. Of the three, Guild Proper is the largest and the wealthiest, while Guild Seame is the smallest, and least influential. They-"  
"HOW DARE YOU!" The Guild Seame representative stood up, and slammed his fist on the table, as Rhiem and the Veteran both drew their weapons, and stuck them to the Seame Representative's neck.

The Representative hesitated, looking at the weapons, and slowly continued. "We... may be few, but we make up for that in heart and fire! Don't underestimate Guild Seame..."  
"Representative Solyas." Chief Sakami fixed him with an angry stare. "No one is underestimating your guild. Now sit. down."

Her eyes narrowed.

It was a strange sight, to see the grown man get scared, and then back down to such a small girl.  
"I'm sorry. I was out of line."  
Chief Sakami returned her stare to the center of the table, her hands folded in front of her.  
"As the Chief of Guild Oilang, I have a responsibility not only to rid the area of rampaging Archeries troops, but also to check the other guilds, so that one or the other may not grow too strong." She closed her eyes in shame. "I'm sorry to say that I have failed in the latter aspect. The Guild Proper now has more power than all of the other guilds combined."  
"Can they contend with the national powers?" Rhiem asked, "Are they an international threat?"

Sakami shook her head. " is the last thing they have left to accomplish. One-on one, the Guild Proper would be crushed by Rubina or Archeria. But with those two warring, they just might be able to accomplish something."

She returned her gaze to the map of the area around Dasiokas. "They have saved Dasiokas 135. Under international law, they have two weeks to return the territory saved, in return for double the estimated value of the land and people in it's current condition. But..." Sakami bit her lip. "The current value of Dasiokas is pitiful. War has ravaged any material value it once had. The approximate value of Dasiokas is close to nil. I don't know what Chief Htu is planning, but it cannot be good."

She looked up. Her small index finger swept across Rhiem, Riu, and Tiana. "I'm sending you three as an envoy to the Guild Proper. You will find out what is going on in Dasiokas and report back to me. Try to feign diplomatic negotiations for as long as you can, but information is the top priority. We will be preparing for the worst here in Ootya."

The Veteran stepped up, a concerned look on his face. "Lady Sakami! Why are you not sending me out? We don't know what will happen!"

Sakami turned to the Veteran, and smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Higa. I need you here to protect Ootya. Exactly because we don't know what will happen."  
The Veteran opened his mouth, about to protest, but closed them in acceptance. "I understand, Lady Sakami. I'm sorry."  
Chief Sakami looked out to the rest of the people. "The rest of you, please depart tomorrow morning. I'm sorry this is so sudden, but this situation cannot be procrastinated. Good day." Chief Sakami stood up, and then turned to the back, followed by the Veteran.

The Seame Representative stood up, and bowed to the retreating figure of Sakami, and then, too, left.

Riu got up, glanced once at where Sakami once was, and then ran over to catch up with the Seame Representative, who was briskly walking outside, in the midday noon.  
"Um... Mister Solyas!" The Seame representative looked at Riu, and then smiled, still walking. Riu had to jog to keep up with him.  
"Ah...you. I'm sorry I was so... passionate during our meeting. I didn't mean offense, but we Seame are a proud lot."  
"No... not that, but Mister Solyas, what... what do you know about... *huff!*... guild proper?"

Representative Solyas glanced at Riu, puzzled. "An odd question for one so young. But no doubt appropriate in your situation...hm... Guild Proper... well, it's less of a guild now, more like an army."  
"What?"  
"Guild Proper was created as a more organized answer to the usual amalgam and mish-mash of skill and equipment that most other guilds normally provide. They took only expensive contracts, and uniformed their men in the best equipment available today. Rumor has it that through the extreme average difficulty of their contracts, that they uniformed skill to a certain level. Meaning, the weak in there died."  
"..." Riu glanced a bit downwards.  
"I'm sorry, am I scaring you?"  
Riu shook her head.  
"Nowadays, everyone who can afford the Guild Proper hires them. Their Guild Knights and Shadows do deliver results, I admit." He looked at Riu, with a very serious face. "But there have been changes. Lately, Guild Proper has stopped taking contracts. We don't know what's going on with them, but anything they pull, we'll stop it!"

He stopped. A jeep, engine running, a hunter from Guild Seame at the wheel, was waiting for Representative Solyas.  
"I'm due. It was a pleasure speaking with you, young Riu. I have to go."  
"Thank you..."  
She looked around. There was no one around her; everyone was getting ready for combat.

"What? You've traded away my precious weapon?" Master Vulcan frowned, looking at the twisted remains of the Fallen Tigress. "And what is this monstrosity?"

The wind blew heavily today. A cold fog had set onto the area, sending the place to sub-zero temperatures in an instant. As the forge was a large amount of aerial platforms, there was no protection from the freezing winds.

Rhiem said nothing. He just kept on looking at his destroyed weapon. The cold fog of Vulcan's forge matted Rhiem's dust-blond hair down, and he stared blankly out at space.

"Hm... whatever struck this gun struck it with incredible force. This black metal is not ordinary steel; I think I have only a small amount of this at hand. Hm..." Master Vulcan lifted the Fallen Tigress; as he did, an extremely small black and yellow gear fell out. The design was that of digital camo, and a lion was inscribed at the bottom.

"..."

"What is it?"  
Vulcan picked it up, and held it up to the light. "It's a Faux Gear. High-level Rubine tech. They use it in their EXTiger models and their CUNarga models to replicate the movements of real animals. Who gave you this weapon again?"  
"The Wandering Merchant." Rhiem stared at the tiny Faux Gear. "He traded it to me for my Combat Rifle."  
Vulcan closed his eyes, and folded his arms. "Ah. Him. Heaven knows where that man gets half his wares. His ability to get whatever he needs is unnatural; it's like he's sold his soul to the devil."

"Can you fix it?"  
"Yes. And I can do more...hand me that blade on your hip."  
Obediently, Rhiem pulled out his machete, and placed it on the workdesk.  
"Leave. For just a moment. I will be done soon."

Rhiem got up, and walked off to another section of Master Vulcan's aerial forge.

A half-hour later, Rhiem heard the heavy footsteps of Rhodes, Vulcan's huge robotic manservant, walk over to Rhiem.  
Rhodes tried to grab Rhiem by the neck, but he ducked, leaving the robot to walk back to where Vulcan was, fist clenching an invisible collar.

Rhiem stepped in, looking at Vulcan, who had Rhiem's reborn weapon in his hands.  
"This... it was the Fallen Tigress before. Now... I dub it, the Vicious Tigress." Rhiem's machete had been affixed to the underside of the barrel, like a bayonet, but attached to what looked like a grenade launcher under it.

Rhiem picked it up, gently. Even the beautiful engraving on the stock had been repaired, and gold leaf had been brushed onto the valleys.

He switched the fire mode to the grenade launcher, and held it up to Rhodes, automatically.

KAM!

The machete flew at the juggernaut, curving in the air. Rhodes reached up to grab the machete in mid-flight; the fingers closed around the edge, but the blade sliced through metal and leather, and struck Rhodes in the breast. The juggernaut stumbled back, fingers flying in the air, blade a foot deep in the chest. Rhodes touched the machete for a second, before it zipped back, zipping through the air, and back onto Rhiem's gun.

"..."  
"Well?"  
"It's good."  
"Good? That's all you have to say, boy?" Vulcan took his glasses, and peered into Rhiem's unmoving eyes. "Something on your mind, boy?"  
Rhiem shook his head.__

...tell anyone that I spoke with you about this, and these two beauties die by me...

"Ugh!" Rhiem held his hand to his head..

__

...It's my drug, what I live for...

Rhiem bit his lip, his mouth in protest, begging to tell someone, about that night, his eyes in furious concentration...

__

...you be nice and good, and let the pain and fear of attack eat you inside out.

  
"Ah-"  
SLAP! Vulcan slapped him.  
"Ow."  
SLAP! He hit him again.  
"Rhiem!" Master Vulcan grabbed him by the collar. "Wake up."  
"...Sir. Thanks."  
Vulcan huffed, shaking his head, and turned, bringing Rhodes with him.  
"You're welcome. Come. I have one more thing for you.

Vulcan and Rhiem came to a large roofed area of Vulcan's forge. Under the roof was completely dark, nothing could be seen in there.  
"In here." Vulcan flipped on the lights. The area lit up like a candle; yellow lights flooded the area with it's tinted light. Combat suits filled the area, each set on a dummy made of foam. There were huge, thick black bomb suits that tripled the size of it's wearer, shock-absorbing sniping suits that stiffened when the suit detected a shock, ghillie suits that made men invisible in brush, and full-body kevlar suits with built-in shield on the left arm.

"Rhiem. Over here." Vulcan was already at the center of the roofed area.

He stood next to a certain suit. It was set apart from the others, and seemed to be made of something other than fabric. Rhiem thought he saw a glint of metal when Vulcan lifted the foam dummy that had the suit on.  
"This is my greatest work yet."

The suit was completely black, with shades of khaki woven into the joints, and a khaki vest over the black suit.  
The vest, with slots to hold bullet clips; on the arm was a built-in sheath that was affixed in the inside of a built-in shield. The shield was the size of a plaque, and tapered off the end to a point. Rhiem felt the material, and thought it to be high-quality fibers streached over flexible plastics.

"The soft, malleable material you feel is made of anacholite ore, some of the rarest rocks in the world. The fabrics are carbon fibers weaved in a six-six pattern for maximum flexibility, while still holding strength." Vulcan stared straight at Rhiem. "Try it on."

Rhiem nodded, and cautiously put the suit on. He trusted Vulcan, but he knew something unpleasant was to come when it concerned him.

He looked all over himself. The suit felt like it was made for him. He tried out all of the joints, and found the suit didn't hamper his movement at all.  
"Good?"  
"Yeah... It fits perfectly."  
"Good. Rhodes, pummel him. But don't strike the head."

As Rhiem heard the lumbering footsteps behind him, he sighed. Why didn't this surprise him?

Rhiem spun, just as Rhodes brought it's forearm crashing down. The metal limb collided with Rhiem's shield, Rhiem closed his eyes in anticipation for the searing pain, and the sharp CRACK! that would signal that Rhodes had fractured his arm in half.

Yet it never came.

He opened his eyes, and his eyes widened in amazement as he saw Rhodes' arm almost cushioned against the anacholite shield. The metal had stiffened in response to a strike!

Rhiem gripped Rhodes' arm tight, and twisted around, sending his shield towards Rhodes' welding mask face. The shield, this time, grew heavier from the centrifugal force, and smashed into the welding mask with far more force than the tiny piece of metal warranted.

Rhiem spun, and stepped down low to sweep Rhodes' legs out from under him. The limb, again grew extremely heavy, and rocketed Rhodes' feet from under him. Rhodes fell back, but not before it kicked Rhiem as hard as it could with both feet.  
Rhiem felt the huge, size 30 metal boots hit his abdomen, but again the cushioning happened, and he could feel the force of the impact spread to his entire body.

Sure, it was still enough to send Rhiem flying through the air, clearing fifty feet easily, but he was relatively unharmed.

Rhiem landed on his feet and a hand, and pulled himself up.  
"Holy shit."  
For the first time, Rhiem saw Master Vulcan smile.  
"Heh. What I said when I first made it, too."

* * *

26

"I feel evil. Scary." Rhiem thumbed the black material of his suit.

Riu smiled, and put her arm over Rhiem's shoulder.  
"You look intimidating. Like a bodyguard. Just like the guy who's been protecting me all this time."  
"It fits you well, handsome" Tiana leaned on Riu. "Those Guild Proper will run a mile away when they see you bearing down on them."

Rhiem glanced up at their driver, exasperated. The man was black, with a kind face and tattoos arcing up his left arm. He wore wife-beater shirt under a Rubine Logistics Division jacket and cap.  
The driver just smiled.

The truck they were in jounced down the mountain path, weaving through the serpentine road, on the way to the Dasiokas settlement.

Several hours later, the Driver leaned over to Rhiem, the girls were in the back, sleeping, and Rhiem was in the passenger seat, looking out at the blurring scenery. Gray meshed with darker patches of gray, creating a blend of monochrome colors.  
Rhiem was sipping a energy drink, compressing the can more and more, little by little, letting the artificial flavors seep into his mouth.

"Hey, kid."

"So, which one those chicks you tappin'?"  
Rhiem coughed out all his drink onto his lap  
"Heh, heh, - oh shit." The driver swerved the truck, narrowly missing a fifteen-foot high boulder. "Heh."

Rhiem, drink soaking his lap, and his cheek impacted against the side window, peeled himself of the side.

"I'm... just friends with them. Both."  
The driver raised his eyebrows.  
"Oh. So... You like it that way, huh?"  
"Wait- What?"  
"Heheh, just kiddin'"  
Rhiem shook his head. This man was a person of extremes.  
The driver glanced in the rear-view mirror, at the sleeping Riu and Tiana.

Without looking at the road, he deftly avoided a sheer cliff face, and continued barreling up the slope.

"Just friends, huh man? Some fine-looking friends." The driver smiled sheepishly at Rhiem's suspicious face. "Hey, don't worry. I'm not into jail-bait."

He lifted his hand; a wedding ring shone on his ring finger.  
"I got my own baby back home."  
"Oh yeah?"  
"Yeah. Her name's Shayla. She's an angel-slash-demon, brought down here to p-whip me 'til the end of the earth."

The two continued chatting up the mountain, as the truck wound around the slopes of the cliffs.  
The man's name was Kilo, from south Rubina. He was a very-down to earth person, laughing at even the slightest joke, and a wise-crack constantly.

He made good company, thought Rhiem, hard to believe he's 30.

A couple miles later, Kilo glanced up ahead at the nearing gateway. "Hey kids, wake up!"  
He brought the truck to a stop, right at the gate.  
"This is as far as we go, man."  
Tiana glanced outside of the truck.  
"Why? Looks fine."  
Kilo shook his head, leaping out of the truck.  
"You kids smell that?" The other three looked about the air, sniffing.

Rhiem caught something. Something strong.  
"It smells... like eggs. Bad ones."

Kilo strode over to the back. When he returned, he carried a flare in his hands.  
Reaching back, Kilo stepped forwards and heaved the red stick out into space. As he did, the string connected to his wrist set off the flare, causing it to puke red sparks and light.

It flew, and then stuck onto something far out into space.  
Red light flooded the area. Then, they saw what was there.

A huge landslide.

"That eggs you smell?" Kilo started walking back to the truck. "Sulfur deposits. You kids would only smell them unless there was a mine, or... this."  
If Kilo had continued, he would had drove straight into the huge pile of rocks.

"So..." Rhiem said. "What now?"  
Kilo stood scratching his head.  
"Well, we're twenty-nine hours away from base. Dasiokas is just over this landslide, and through the woods." He got out a pack, full of food and water. With a heave, he tossed them to Rhiem. "You kids should go on ahead. I'll stay here, waiting for the rocks to grow older."  
"..." Rhiem motioned to Kilo. "You aren't coming?"  
Kilo shook his head.  
"Someone's gotta stay here and watch the truck. You don't want to walk back home, huh? Don't worry. I got food, water, and enough rap cassettes to sink a boat."  
Kilo laughed, and pulled out a cigar, he flicked open a lighter, bringing the flame to the end.  
"So go."  
"Right now?" Tiana replied, incredulous. "In the dark?"

A flashlight was tossed into her hands.  
Rhiem grinned at her.  
"You can lead."

Kilo sat on the hood of his truck, alone, with his cigar and his bottle of Moneigro.  
He let out one final breath as the stub of his cigar crumbled, and fell to the ground; reaching out, he picked up his bottle and drained its last drops.

"Whew... good stuff." Kilo reached over, and put on his cap.

"So... " Kilo calling out to the empty space, "you guys gonna come out already or what?"

"!"

Kilo glanced out at the inky blackness.  
"Hm..." He went into the front seat, and tugged on something. He felt it come loose, and he pulled it out.  
His Mossberg P-90.  
Gripping the pump only, he cocked it with one hand. The other hand reached out slowly to finger the trigger.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you fools, down by there, crouching by those rocks."

"Alright," Kilo tipped his cap down. "I'll bring the fight to you then." Walking outwards into the night, he brought the shotgun to his shoulder.

And stepped out into the shadows.

Nighttime hid horrors for the other three.

Tiana had caught her foot something, she looked down, and screamed.

"Oh...no. No, no, no." Tiana looked away, tears in her eyes. "Why, why?"

Riu was silently weeping, she closed the eyelids of a single eye as Rhiem covered the body with a white towel.  
It was the body of a young child, a

boy, with a horrendous wound to the face that carved out the entire left-hand side of his face. Rhiem had trouble holding the flashlight to the body, as the wound was so ugly.  
"No." Riu shook her head. "How could Archeria do this? Even they can't be-"  
Rhiem stuck his arm out, barring her.  
"Riu..." He lifted the towel again. The girls averted their eyes quickly. Rhiem stomached the sight of brain and bone, and the smell. "Riu... Get your sword out from the pack."

"What?"  
Rhiem loaded his Vicious Tigress, and slung it over his shoulder.  
"That's a bullet hole."

* * *

27

The sun shone brightly through the sifting dust clouds above.

Shuffling through a large field of bushes, Rhiem came through the leaves and branches, over a hill face. He knelt on the gray, dusty dirt and surveyed the area. The sun was up, in the high noon position, causing shadows to diminish to nothing. He brushed away a graying leaf, which fell away from his view.

The former outer ring of Dasiokas spread out in front of him. Transfixed, he chanced a moment to stand up. As he rose, the destroyed ruins of almost all of Dasiokas spread out around him. The buildings were blacked from fires and shells, some still smoking; spewing black plumes of smog into the air. This was not like the decades-abandoned urban streets he was so familiar in patrolling. This was a fresh corpse of a settlement.

He crouched down, and looked back, motioning with his hand to RIu and Tiana. The two girls silently rose from their hiding spot, their faces covered with black ski masks. They scurried in front of Rhiem as he covered the area.

Satisfied, he followed them down the dusty hill face.

***  
"Commandant, we have a problem."  
The Guild Shadow glanced back at the motionless body that was tied up at the back of the cave wall.

"There were supposed to be three Guild Oilang representatives en route to Dasiokas... but we've only captured their driver."  
"What's going on? Where are the other three?"  
"We think the representatives departed on foot before they reached the ambush point. A landslide forced them to stop before they could reached us."  
"...What of the driver?"  
"Captured. Should we kill him?"  
"...No. Take him back here. We'll deploy squads into the outer ring of Dasiokas and in the forest. Bring the prisoner back here."  
"...Roger."  
The Guild Shadow hung up the radio receiver, disappointed. He picked up the torture instruments that he so eagerly wanted to use, and placed gingerly back into his case. He glanced at the driver, who had a nasty lump on his right temple that was bleeding profusely.

Well, the Guild Shadow thought, he had to wake him up sometime.  
The man swung his sniper rifle as hard as he could, crashing the butt onto the unconscious Kilo's cheek.

Rhiem crouched behind a rusting barrel, trigger finger twitching. He glanced around the side. Down the dusty alley, with numerous piles of trash and boxes blocking the view, were three Guild Knights. They were crowded around a barrel that was lit and burning, quietly chatting. They stood in front of an old, destroyed amphitheatre.

He nervously tightened the scarf he had around his head. The piece of cloth was wrapped to fully cover his scalp and lower face, so that only his eyes showed.

Their huge bomb suits added a foot to their height, and tripled their thickness, making them look like astronauts more than soldiers. They each had a handgun slung by their leg, and a short sword designed to punch through anything.

Rhiem considered to try and take them all out. Just three sho-

No.

He had to go back.

Rhiem fell back, into a dark alley.

Weaving through the streets, he stopped before a dark, burned-out hotel. Glancing both ways, he slipped under a corrugated sheet of metal, and found himself in a pleasant lobby, relatively untouched by war.

"Hey!" Tiana came out from behind the reception. "Welcome home, honey. Find anything?"

Rhiem tossed several bottles of water, and some cans of food he found scavenging.  
Sighing, Tiana turned the cans over to their labels.  
"More creamed corn?" She shook her head, and tossed into into a small pile of cans, barely a half-foot high. "How much longer are we gonna stay here? We don't have much food left."

Rhiem wound the scarf off of his face. As the cloth fell away, his dust-blond hair tumbled out in clumps.

"We have to stay here and gather as much intel on what Guild Proper is doing as possible. So far we have squat. I've identified both the central fire base, and the amphitheatre in this town as POIs, but the fire base is way too heavily guarded."  
Tiana leaned on the counter.  
"You going out again tommorow?"  
"... yeah. To the theatre."  
Tiana shook her head, and started opening the cans with a knife.  
"You should eat up and leave soon. Riu will be back, and she'll just be even more worried to see you go."  
"Tian-"  
"I'll tell her you're out for more food."

He fell silent, and walked out. He reached the hole in the wall, and lifted the piece of corrugated steel.

He climbed through the hole, and went out.


	16. Chapter 17

28

Rhiem inched forward upon the lip of an old, rickety water tower. The huge steel structure miraculously managed to retain most of it's cargo, sever hundred thousand gallons of dirty, brown water. As he neared the edge, some bright blue flashed in front of him. A thick water pipe, traveling far down to the amphitheater. To his right, the towers of the central command complex loomed like so many sentinels. To his left, the hills and valleys of Dasiokas' surrounding area sprawled across, colored in only so many shades of brown and gray.

And before him, the amphitheater. The amphitheater was shaped like a dome, with a rectangular shaped ring that encompassed the edges of the dome. At the direct center of the face, some artillery shell or wyvoid's breath blasted a hole straight through. It was to this hole that the thick blue water pipe ran, from the huge water tower. Guild Proper was plotting something. And only one way to find out.

He pulled himself onto the PVC pipe and slowly, carefully, he shimmied his way down to the roof of the amphitheater.

After a minute of strenuous climbing, he had made it to the face. He dropped down, and bent over to catch his breath. He recovered with a new determination in his eyes.

He stealthily approached the hole blasted in the face. He dropped down and drew his gun.

He held his breath, then flipped over, prone, just over the lip. Past a net of rebar, and down a long way...

Screaming. Men were being dragged out a pit in the center of the amphitheater, wet and bleeding, by the lugus amphibious drone. The lugus were part of Archeria's third stage of development, vicious, dog-like creatures with the face of a dog, the body of a komodo dragon, and the stout legs of a crocodile. They dragged out their victims by the collar, not caring if a few inches of the nape of the neck were caught, and tossed them into a pile of humans off the side. The tangled mess of legs and arms grew larger as the lugus dragged out more an more living victims.

Above them, a Guild Knight stood, marking tallies on a clipboard attached to his arm.

Rhiem felt shivers in his spine, reminded of O'Connell and his V-Preys.

__

What was Guild Proper doing with wyvoids?

The Guild Knight consulted his chart, and then a small radio attached to his chest.  
He nodded, then turned to his large group of hostages.

"Well, friends, I have some bad news." He stopped at a girl, wet and dripping, face hidden by a gray cap, and her black hair matted against her. He pulled her chin up, but she didn't not look up. "I can't keep you guys. Pity."

The Guild Knight turned away.  
"Sic 'em, boys."

Howling, the lugus charged the group of clutching people.  
The girl with the cap looked away; away from the snapping teeth and vicious claws.

Rhiem made his decision, and stood up for a better shot. His bullet rang out, punching through the lead lugus, just as 8 shadowy figures leaped out from the shadows of the amphitheatre, guns drawn.

The Guild Knight turned around, to see a young man charging out.

Drawing he snarled, and drew his short sword.  
"You goddamn worms!" The huge man swung, just as his assailant pulled out hands, with piles of powder in each fist. Holding them together, the assailant breathed, sending both piles of powder into the air at the Knight.

As they mixed, they ignited, bathing the Guild Knight in flame.  
"ARRGH!" The man fell back, flames eating at his suit.

The assailant turned, and breathed fire at another lugus that was snapping at his friend with a shotgun.  
All over, men were kicking at the lugus, blowing them apart with shotguns and bolt rifles- Old antiques, but still effective.

The girl looked up, and smiled a smile full of joy.  
"KJ! KJ!"  
KJ, the Knight's Assailant turned, and ran to the girl, arms out.  
He stopped.

The Knight had appeared behind the girl and clasped hard. He gripped the girl at the neck, short sword in that hand, and a pistol outstretched, pieces of lugus lay broken all around him. The assailants handed the former hostages weapons, shotguns and bolt-action rifles, until the Knight was surrounded by 30 armed and angry militia.

The Knight growled, and pressed the blade to the girl's neck.  
"Stay back! Don't think I can't take her entire head off in a stroke."

A stalemate ensued. One nervous man fired off a shot at the Knight. The round struck the Knight in his white bomb helm, and bounced off the bullet-proof padding. The Knight laughed, and then fired his pistol into the gut of the man, killing him.  
The one known as KJ grit his teeth, arms in his pouches of powder, but he could not act.  
The Knight started shifting to the exit, talking into his radio.

He looked up, a craziness bled into his eyes.  
Rhiem could see his muscles tense up, and the blade started to cut-

KJ screamed, arm out,  
"NO!"

Rhiem fired.

The magnum round spun through, smacking into the Knight's helm. The heaver round drilled through the bullet-proof fabric and padding, coming to rest a half-inch into the Guild Knight's skull.  
The man groaned, and stumbled back. He had gone only 3 steps before the round detonated, instantly killing him. The Bomb Helm did it's job, not yielding to the power of the explosion, and only flexed out slightly as the man's skull was turned to mush.

The Guild Knight fell, brain dripping out his visor.

KJ ran forwards, and hugged the girl.  
"Kaejun... thank God."

KJ turned to Rhiem, and nodded at him.

Rhiem returned the gesture, and to the amazement of his onlookers, jumped down from the hole. He fell, and hit the ground with a large THUD! His suit flexed with the impact, and he pulled himself off the floor.

KJ walked up to him, and shook his hand.  
"You... thank you. My name is Kaejae. You?"  
"Rhiem," he hesitated, and decided to lie for convience. "Pvt. Rhiem. Spec Ops," He added quickly.  
"Rubine? You're young for SpecOps, aren't you."  
"You're young too."  
KJ couldn't help but laugh at this. "Touche."

KJ was slightly taller than Rhiem, with a black ponytail tied back, and a bandanna across his crown.

"Rubine, huh?" He drew a Taser. "Sorry. Can't take any chances with Rubines."

Rhiem threaded his fingers behind his head. He was doing this for intelligence, he reminded himself.  
All was forgot as the Taser darts shot into his neck, and he fell writhing.

* * *

29

Sun fell through the holes in the walls of the old, ruined hotel like rain made of light. Dust floated, scattered, throughout the room, catching the sun, and creating pillars of light in the structure of ruins.  
Yet everywhere there wasn't light, was a suffocating blackness, enveloping everything.

And in the far back, a shadow moved.

Tiana looked up, tired. Was Rhiem back?  
No. It was too early. So what-?

The shadow moved again, and slipped out the entrance.  
Tensing, Tiana crept up, and moved silently across the room, like a cat.  
"Riu?" Tiana whispered. "Is that you?"

All that was before her was a dark doorway, blackened by darkness and fire.  
'Ri-" Then, something grabbed her hard, by the waist, and struck her in the head. "Aggh!" She didn't lose consciousness. Instead, pain flanked her brain and swirled about her thoughts.  
Coughing, moaning, she struggled against the force that grabbed her.

"God! Stay still!" The Guild Knight who grabbed her struggled to restrain the fighting girl; his movement was hampered by his huge bomb suit.  
'I said..." He raised his fist. "STAY STILL!"

Tiana, still struggling, found what she was looking for. A small derringer, strapped to the inside of her thigh. She cocked and fired the tiny gun in one motion. The tiny bullet, at point-blank range, was like a heavy fist into the Guild Knight's chest.

The man stumbled back, growling.  
"God! You bitch!" He drew his short sword. "Stay still! I'm just going to take a few pieces off of you!"  
She didn't feel inclined to listen, running down the opposite way, into a dark corridor.  
"GET BACK HERE!"

She came to a dead end.  
Turning, she fired one shot down at the advancing figure. The huge man just laughed off the tiny .22 bullet.  
"So... should it be a finger, or an ear?" The man's face was covered by a helmet, but one could feel, even smell the evil grin on the man's face. "Such a pretty face. It'll look better bloody."

He raised the sword high.

Tiana closed her eyes, and was slapped.  
"What?"  
The Knight looked surprised, too. He looked down at his right hand.  
Ten feet from his wrist.  
"Ugh...ARGH!" Blood started pouring from the perfectly sliced stump.  
"Tiana!"  
Riu ran down the corridor, AG saber in hand.  
The Knight turned, mind blank with fear and rage.  
He charged at Riu, intending to crush the small girl with his weight.  
She drew her second sword, and stepped past the man.  
Tiana saw the piece of metal flash in and out of the man's body, and the huge Knight collapse.

"Riu...Ugh!" Tiana ran forwards, and hugged Riu. The girl started crying a bit. "I'm sorry," She sniffed. "Thanks."  
Riu didn't respond, but kept on looking at the Knight.  
"Riu..." Tiana saw the Knight's chest move slightly, up and down.  
"Riu... Is he-"  
"Yeah." Riu looked at Tiana. "He's still alive." She swung the second blade, sending blood flying off the edge. "This..." She held the weapon up. "This I've named the Mercy Blade. It's amazing. It'll cut through anything... but leave the victim with the last traces of their life. I like this one better than my first sword."

"Why..." Tiana shook her head. "Riu, these people are evil. Why would you want to spare them?"  
Riu closed her eyes.  
"As little death and pain as possible... That's what I want. No revenge. No righteousness."  
She bit her lip. "It doesn't matter. Not with this one anyways. He's going to bleed out. Come on, we've got to go."  
"...I'm sorry. And you're right.."  
"Yeah. First things first, we've got to move."

Far up, in an over-looking building, the female Guild Shadow, her eyes closed, smilied.  
"So..." She said to herself. "Those two managed to get out of that one, huh?"  
She walked over to the window, and immediately found the form of two fleeing girls. She knew the most popular skill implant for the Guild Shadows, or Skillpac, was _Precision_, but the _Auto-tracking_ was fun too.

The fleeing figures, to the woman glowing bright red, shone in the female Guild Shadow's eyes like a neon sign in the dark.

"I'll have fun playing with you two. Run, my little mice. The hunters are coming."

"Hey. You awake?" KJ stood over the slowly waking form off Rhiem. "Riiiiiiise and shine, mister SpecOps."  
"Ugh..." First, the harsh glow of florescent lighting burned into his eyes. Then, the burn of two taser marks on his neck seared into his brain.  
Rhiem sat up, gingerly touching a spot were the electric current burned it's mark into his skin.  
Suddenly moving, Rhiem grabbed KJ and held his head against the bed frame. KJ twisted, and stuck a knife to Rhiem's neck.

Just in time, Rhiem grabbed hold of the knife, and started pushing it in the opposite direction.  
"Why did you shoot me?"  
"I...I told you, we can't take... any chances with Rubines!" He stiffened his arms, and started struggling the knife back to Rhiem's neck.

"HEY!" A large pot flew through the air, and struck KJ in the temple. He groaned, and collapsed, knocked out. "No fighting!"

The girl that KJ had rescued stood in the doorway with a frying pan, and she wore an apron that was pink and far too short. She looked to be around 14, but didn't carry herself like one.  
"You." She pointed at Rhiem. "I don't know you, so you get one strike. But no fighting, got it?"  
Confused, he nodded.

KJ got back up as soon as the girl closed the door.  
"Ugh..."  
"Who-?"  
"My sister." He smiled. "The girl you saved back there." He stuck out his hand. "Sorry. We came off badly. My name's Kaejae, but everyone calls me KJ. She's called Kaejun."  
"Right. Who are you?"  
KJ puffed his chest, proud.  
"We're the People's Freedom Army. Impressive, right? But actually, we're really just a bunch of guerrillas fighting against Archeria."  
"Except recently."  
"Yeah." He pulled out a chew stick, munching on the sweet gum and nicotine pad. "Recently, it's been the Archies and those Guild people."

"Hey!" Kaejun opened the door again. "Come on, eat something!" She closed the door, and KJ stood up, rubbing a lump on his head.  
"Hope you like shellfish."  
"What?"

A large desk, meant to fit in the corner of a room, was moved to the center, and fit oddly as the centerpiece. And almost every inch was covered with some kind of seafood, and not fish, Shrimp, crab, and clams all filled the desk. A single, swinging yellow light illuminated the food, giving everything a sickly yellow glow.

Rhiem sat at a rickety table, still adjusting to the strong smell radiating off his plate, a mixture of rice, shrimp, and abalone.

Kaejun seemed to notice Rhiem for the first time.  
"Oh, mister, thank you very much for saving me." She stood up, and then folded herself, in what seemed to be a foreign bow. "I gave you extra abalone, I hope you like it."  
"Um... thank you."  
Kaejun shot a glare at KJ, who was trying to choke down a soup made with clams and broth; mostly clams.  
"See? He says thank you!"  
"Who...*hack*" KJ coughed on a piece of shell. "Who could say thanks after two months of straight clams?"  
"You... jerk!" Kaejun turned her face, which was twisted in a lipped frown. "You like it, right mister?"  
Rhiem nodded, all while eating something that tasted mostly like garlic and seaweed.  
"He's just being nice." KJ muttered, "More than anyone else could be about this stuff."  
"You...!" Kaejun ran out, and pulled the blinds. Rhiem was suddenly hit by a wave of light, and realized they were very high up.  
"You miss my cooking if I was gone!"  
"Maybe."  
Rhiem looked back at KJ, who was munching on a shrimp, half-listening.  
"I'll jump!"  
"No doubt you will."  
Rhiem turned to the open window, and then gaped in shock. Kaejun was hanging, her hips past the lip of the window, and her arms grasping the top.

"H-Hey!" Rhiem ran over, and pulled the girl back into the room. Glancing outside, he judged them to be on some double-digit floor of an abandoned apartment.  
He pulled the girl in and set her down.  
"Hey." KJ said, as if he was not yet sure whether he wanted to get involved. "Don't."

Kaejun looked surprised, and turned to Rhiem.  
"Wow. You do care. Unlike someone!" Kaejun glared at KJ, who was munching on crab.  
"Hey Kaejun... isn't there a sale on canned food this week in the black market? Probably crab or something."  
Gasping, Kaejun clapped her hands.

"Ah! I forgot!" Kaejun grabbed a jacket that was hung on a rusty refrigerator, and ran out the front door.

...She forgot to take her apron off.

Sighing, KJ dumped his food.  
"KJ..."  
"I know, I know, what's wrong with Kaejun?"  
"Well, not like that-"  
"Yeah. It is. Don't worry, it's nothing weird.  
KJ closed his eyes, and laid back on his chair.  
"We used to live here. Well, not here, but in Dasiokas." KJ looked out the window. "That used to be our view. But then... then those *bleep*ing Archies laid siege to here. Everything changed right then. Mom, we lost her in a fire that blazed just after the first week of siege. Dad, he joined us and himself in the People's Freedom Army a year back. We lost him on a scouting mission."

Rhiem thought he saw tears in KJ's eyes, but they quickly disappeared.

"It was after Mom and Dad were gone, everyone heard rumors about how Archeria going to make one, huge assault. It was total panic. People went missing. There was so much looting and rape that people set fire to their stuff so that the robbers wouldn't kill them after they robbed them blind, and women would slash their faces."

He sighed, and heavy pain etched his face.

"It sucked. Kaejun was completely out of it. She avoided the sex-crazy men and the muggers, but she couldn't handle the stress of maybe being next. Once, Kae was curled up on our floor, hyperventilating, and sweating a pool into her clothes. Mind you, she had a mild case.  
I just ran down to get her a blanket, and when I came back up..."  
"What?"  
"She was fine. And not just not-sick fine, but fine-fine. She got up, and started fussing over how she was going to keep her crab meat from spoiling in the siege... ...She just... ...snapped."  
"Is she alright?"  
"Like I said, she's fine. It's like the world just became... okay for her."

"..."  
"She's a lucky girl."  
KJ looked up, surprised, and then nodded.  
"Yeah... I guess she is."  
Rhiem noticed a small family picture that was crookedly hung on a rotted mantel.

"...Are you guys Sinoan?"  
"Hah! Racist." KJ looked at the picture. "We're Hangulese. Dad was from Hangul. He just got out before everything went to shit there." KJ coughed. "All we do is live our life now... I wonder, would he be proud of me if he saw me now? My dad, I mean."  
"You know, you saved your sister. Of course."  
"...yeah-"__

Tham!

  
A can of corn collided in exactly the same spot where KJ was hit previously. He went out without a sound this time, silently crumpling off his chair.

"He lied about the crab." Kaejun grumbled.


	17. Chapter 18

30

"No! No way!"  
"Um..." KJ checked the chart at the PFA central. "Yeah, Guild Proper's been snooping around near the old Remington Hotel. What's the problem? They already know we're here, what's the difference- Hey!"

Rhiem suddenly dashed through the sewer complex, past several startled PFA officers, who shouted their injustice at him; KJ in pursuit.  
"Rhiem, what's the deal?" KJ called out. "Why-"  
"Where's the fastest way back?"  
"Well, there's a ammo supply going to be sent out on the old military monorail in a minute, why do you need to- Hey!"  
Rhiem took off again in the opposite direction, his boots slapping loudly against the wet floor, towards a ladder. He gripped the bar hard with one hand, and launched himself up the chute. He wasted no time with the manhole, simply ramming the lid upwards into the open air.

Rhiem pulled himself onto the concrete street, and took off sprinting towards the station.

"Rhiem, wait up!" KJ came up just as the manhole lid came clattering down only a half-foot away from the boy's head. "Jesus!"

Rhiem bolted through the old monorail station, once a military transport depot, now a derelict shelter for vermin and mold. Just as he came in to the loading bay, the only monorail car in the station started moving. The car was in poor shape, being haphazardly patched in places by the PFA with various salvage from the area, making it look like the Frankenstein of trains.

Rhiem sprinted as fast as he could to the retreating cars- the doors were already a blur if he didn't follow the cars with his eyes- and leaped up, grabbing a handle with one hand. he misjudged his footing, and slipped for a second-  
'Hey!" KJ came up right behind him and shoved Rhiem back onto car, sliding open the door and slipping in.

Rhiem rolled in just as the edge of a very closely placed warning sign struck him off the train.

"Je-sus, you are a crazy man." KJ laughed. "What the hell were you thinking? There's another track coming around in ten minutes."  
Rhiem sighed, and leaned back against the wall, letting the rattling massage his tense back.

"I got people back there. Friends." He laughed to himself. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
KJ, sitting in the other corner of the dark car, shook his head, and then shrugged.

Whatever, I'm open, he meant.

Rhiem told KJ all about his companions in the hotel. His escape from the Rangesse Firebase. His travels to the village of Ootya. His confrontations with bat-shit snipers, armored wyvoids, howling dragon machines, and even a robot with a welding mask. KJs eyebrows traveled higher and higher as he spoke of comatose girls with silver hair, pop celebrities with their assistants, and stupid idiots killing their crazy wyvoid-driving captains with only a gun and semtex. He finally came to where he met the most interesting logistics truck-driver in Rubina when KJ stopped him.

"Wait, you met Tiana?"  
"Yeah."  
"Well, what's she like?"  
"She used to be weird, but not anymore. Not after she lost Noa."  
"Noa?" KJ leaned forwards.  
"Yeah, he was my friend. We only met for a day, but-" Rhiem hung his head down. His uncut hair shadeded his eyes until they were nothing but black holes. "I failed him."

The two kids sat there, as an awkward silence slowly crept in the cabin.

"So," Rhiem gestured at KJ's powder packs. "How do those work? Is it hard to use?"  
"These? Nah. Just mix'em and boom!"  
"Should you we keeping those so close together all them time?"  
"Well, I try and keep them away from wind and candles and stuff." KJ smiled a bit to himself. "An old Sinoan coot taught me that move. Called it, 'The Dragon's Breath', or some shit like that. Lungkoufung, he called it..." KJ laughed to himself. "I never got that old fart's name. And he never bothered me for mine. He lived in my apartment block before Archeria attacked. Taught me that so many years ago at the Sinoan new year. My mom freaked. Then... he disappeared right before the Archies came."  
"...Hey, when do we get there?"  
"I..." KJ frowned. "Dunno. We'll have to go up to the monorail tract pilot. He won't like us hitching a ride... but he won't kick us off."

He got up, and opened the connecting door to the next cab. A fresh batch of wind and light punched out at them, as the connecting rubber had long since been cannibalized by the PFA for various purposes. Now, a mere four feet of open air was between their car and the next.

Rhiem could hear the constant clack-clack of the railway on cheap tracks sharp in his ears, and the rush of open air on his face.

KJ turned back to Rhiem, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Tell Kaejun I love her if I don't make this."

He took a small leap, and latched onto the next doorway with both hands and feet. Carefully, he slid open the door, and slipped in. He turned back, and waved Rhiem on.  
Rhiem took a small breath, and jumped. He could see the open city of Dasiokas for a split second- destroyed buildings and monorail tracks criss-crossing the districts, most of them long broken.

And two small aqueducts, ran along either side of the track, gurgled water along with the train.

Rhiem landed on the wood floor, this time the car was populated with crates of ammo and explosives, no doubt for the PFA's war efforts.  
KJ was already up at the next car, leaping over to the next doorway and pulling it open.

Rhiem soon followed, jogging to catch up.  
KJ was almost at the driver's door, until Rhiem stopped him.  
"KJ, what's with the water coming in at the side?"  
"Huh?" KJ shrugged. "I dunno. It just started coming in yesterday. We think maybe Proper's trying to float bombs down the line or something."

Rhiem closed his eyes. Water... the water tower! What would they need water for?

He opened his eyes again.  
The Lugus Amphibious Drone. Guild Proper had...

"KJ! The Lugus! That's why Guild Proper pumped water into the duct!"

Kj's eyes went from confused, to the wide eyed face that comes when a dreaded realization hits.  
"Oh shit." He turned, and threw open the driver's door.

The Driver, a fat balding man with frizzled hair and horned glasses, turned in shock.  
"KJ! What the hell are you doing here?"  
"Old man! Look out for the duct! Guild Proper might send their lugus outta there!"  
"Guild-Lugus-" The man did not have time to finish his thought, as the loud splintering sound of wood and metal being broken apart rent the air.  
KJ slid open the door.

A half-dozen lugus drones stared back at them, with their curious dog-like crocodile faces. Behind each, the open hole of the wall where they broke through. A couple were tearing opening the ammo crates, while one of them yelped.

KJ closed the door.

"Let'em come," He growled, digging his hands into his power pouches. "I'll roast'em."  
"Hey, KJ!" The Driver yelled. "Don't do that Sinoan shit around the ammo crates! You'll set them off!"

KJ stared at the Driver, dumbfounded at suddenly becoming useless. The door to the driver's cab shuddered with a tremendous hit.  
"What?" He said, as Rhiem slid open the nearly broken door, and drew his Vicious Tigress. As soon as the lugus poked it's head through the door, Rhiem jabbed the machete deep into the head, and tore down, sending a small shower of metal bits and wires into the air.

Rhiem pulled the door wider, and drew his gun at the dog-like machines.  
He almost pulled the trigger- but then pulled it back.

"Hey! Kid!" The Driver yelled, as the loud KLAM! from his gun sounded another lugus' death, "What do you think you're doing? Shoot!"

He couldn't- the explosion could set off the crates!

"Shit!" Rhiem hissed. He brought the machete attachment right on a charging lugus, just as another lugus tore onto his foot. "God- Goddamnit!" He swung his shield arm down; the edge of the metal plate smashed a dent straight into the forehead of the crocodile dog.

"Rhiem," KJ yelled, a lugus snapping at his face, " Toss me that axe!"

Rhiem spun the tomahawk into KJ's hand, who promptly carved off his attacker's metal face.

"KJ!, Let's move to the top!" Rhiem stepped out of a hole that, turning to grab the rooftop and pulling himself up.

"Oh," the Driver muttered, firing off another shot. "Thanks, kids. Leave an old man by himself."

The wind rushed up against Rhiem on the roof of the monorail. Or, he thought, they were rushing up against the wind. Wind hardly ever blew in our world anymore.

KJ grunted, tossing one leg up on roof, and flopping himself onto the edge.  
"You are a crazy man." He muttered.  
"You can fight here, stop whining."

Rhiem looked out at the aqueduct. The water was flowing quickly with them, the monorail train barely rumbling past the water that frothed and spat along both sides of the rail.

Up ahead, he saw several more dark shapes weaving at incredible speeds up to the train.  
He took careful aim at the shapes, and slammed several magnum-crags into the shapes. The shapes squirmed in the water, and then exploded. For an instant, four water spouts thundered in the air, leaving broken pieces of machine behind.

"Did we get them?" KJ looked out at the waters. "I don't see anything.

The clack-clack of the rail went past his words, carrying them away.

Rhiem looked out, and saw the upcoming rail came around a bend, which looped around the very water tower that he had been on the day before. The steel monolith towered over them, casting an intimidating shadow onto the train.

And on it, a small green light. As the train reached the half-way point around the water tower, it turned red.  
"Wha?"

BOOM!

The water tower thundered.

KAM!

It bent. Outwards.

"KJ! Get Ready!"

KRAAKAM! The steel exploded outwards, looking freakishly like a swollen pimple that burst. Out the steel lump, came something large. And angry. And green. It spun through the air and landed on all its four feet on the train. Its metal feet sank into the creaking metal floor and its huge yellow mane waved in the air.

It was completely made of some spongy material- Rhiem knew it was extremely tough, through either the bias experience or through gut feeling...  
It had the same crocodile face, but the proud mane of a lion wrapped all around it's crown. The powerful tail waved with the wind, and water rolled off its jaw like drool.

The Royal Lugus. Pride of the waters.

* * *

31

"GRAAAH!"

The Royal Lugus hopped a single step, and then rocketed itself on an explosion of water. It's maw was open wide, and legs were tucked behind it's huge, flowing mane. Hidden behind the mane shone the glint of water compression jets, erupting ton after ton of water across the train roof.

It seemed to hover for a second, and then shifted so fast forwards the air blurred.

'Shit!" Rhiem hit the the deck; the huge machine barely missed his form, the jets soaking him in dirty water.

He rolled over and aimed down his sights. The huge mech landed, and twisted around inside his iron sight.  
"Bastard." he muttered.

The gun cracked it's retort, and three magnum slugs buried themselves into the Royal Lugus' proud mane. It paused for a second, and then seemed to shrink into itself.  
GRAAA-AAAAH!  
Water shot out of it's every pore in body. And with it, the three slugs. They exploded just around the lugus in a ring, in three spheres of water. It fixed Rhiem with it's mechanical stare. Slowly, all of it's hidden jets rose from inside it's mane, all locked onto Rhiem and KJ.

Rhiem felt as if he was staring down a firing squad.

"Shit."

Riu peeked around the corner, hair aflutter in the dead wind. Before her, the huge dome of the amphitheatre. Between her and the huge dome was the flat stretch of a couple government parking lots, and a dead hedge.

"You said Rhiem was scouting here?"  
Tiana nodded slightly, before glancing nervously over her shoulder.

Riu pat Tiana once, and then dashed across the parking lot. She made it to a rusted jeep, and crouched behind it. She gave a nod to Tiana, and then cut across another stretch, Tiana right behind. The two crossed the empty parking lot, over the hedge, and hopped a fence.

Far above, the female Guild Shadow should have seen almost nothing. The flash of silver hair, maybe a few shifting shadows, but nothing.

Yet what she saw was two furious, neon-red figures pulsate and shiver in the darkness. They quivered in the night, and then slipped into the ampitheatre.  
"Got you." She whispered. She packed away her gun, and slipped out of her room, and down a flight of stairs.

She licked her lips in anticipation; her fingers tingled with helpless excitement. She could barely hold the stair rail.

She sighed. She really need to get laid.

Riu looked about the ampitheatre, for any sign of Rhiem. The area was completely circular, with row after row of seats surrounding the stage. Light shone in pillars down the open space, with one huge pool of light in the center, and in the center, a hole blown up in the stage. leading down to the sewer.

"Do you see-?" Riu stopped. Stopped by the scared look on Tiana's face.

Riu turned back.

A single figure stood in on the stage. She was partially covered by her ghillie suit, but the woman wore it like a robe. A ghillie-covered M21 suppressed hung from her gentle hands, and a curved smile hung from her cool face.

"...Hello, dears." She looked up. "I... I'm Desiräe. It's very good to meet you." She smiled a true, genuine smile, and the sunlight reflected prettily off her face.  
For a second she looked so innocent-  
"Let's play something fun."

"Who are you?" Tiana yelled out fearfully, "How-How'd you get here-?"  
Desiräe ground her teeth in mock annoyance.

"Tsk."

Tsuu!

Tiana lurched forwards, a look of pure surprise on her face. Blood pooled onto her shirt, right around her left breast.

"Wait for me to finish, bitch." Desiräe lowered her gun.  
"Uh-"

She hit the ground with a soft thump.  
"Ah-ANAA!" Riu screamed. "TIANAA!" She pulled Tiana over, Tiana was breathing hard, eyes clenched shut and her teeth grinding together in pain. Blood drenched her shirt; it clung to Tiana like a straitjacket.  
"Tiana, Tiana, speak, come on!"

She shuddered, and lay still.  
"Ana?"

'Hey! I'm not finished with you yet." Desiräe tapped her M21 impatiently on the ground. "We haven't even started."  
Riu stood stock still, a hundred yards away.  
"Hey! You listening?" Desiräe drew her M21. "You hear-"

Flam!  
The end of the suppressor on the M21 clattered to the ground. Desiräe let out a low whistle.

Riu lowered her AG saber.  
She was a mess of emotions now. She felt something dark, deep inside of her that she never felt before. Rage. Every time her heart willed out fury, her brain suppressed it, like a tied rope.  
But why?  
Why not?  
Why not get angry?

Why not.

"Hey!" Desiräe raised her M21. "Wake up, girl!"  
She fired one shot at Riu's chest.

Riu looked up, slowly. She saw the muzzle flash. Then the glint of the bullet as it passed through light.

The bullet slowed more and more the nearer it got to her.  
She simply reached out and grabbed it. Or something did. Five feet away from her, the bullet suddenly stopped, frozen in mid-air. She could see the huge, four inch long slug hovering in mid-air. All around it, the whole world shifted and shimmered.

She lifted her hand back, or that was the closest the sensation felt like. Like a third hand inside her brain. Except the end of this hand was tipped with one, huge, shimmering shield.

Desiräe gaped; her mouth slowly formed into a disbelieving smile.  
"Heh," She pulled over her ghillie hood. "Guess I'll have to get serious."  
She slipped back into the shade, completely disappearing from view.

Riu stood, stock still at the top of the amphitheatre stairs.

Hidden in the shadows, Desiräe smiled. She flicked a switch.  
On the other side of the stadium, a small light flickered.  
Instantly, Riu spun and slashed at it with her sword. The huge divide of shimmering cut the light perfectly in half.  
Along with the entire 14th row. Chair after chair simply slid off it's mounting, a smooth cut in the steel support.

"Where are you?" Riu growled. "Come out where I can get to you."  
Desiräe smiled. No way.  
She fired again; a deafening KLAM, ran over the echos of Riu's voice, rang out.  
Riu's head snapped back, and Desiräe smiled.

Riu's head lolled around, and faced straight at Desiräe's hiding hole.

The bullet hovered in front of Riu's face, suspended on a shield of shimmers. Riu's teeth were clenched, with a small gap open. Her eyes were wide, and crazy.

Her mouth opened, and the bullet dropped. She spun, AG saber flickering in the light. Three huge canyons carved themselves into the amphitheatre seats.  
Desiräe turned around, scared. But with a every notch of scared she was, she was twice as much excited.

"Not even Htu is this good." She muttered to herself. "Excellent." She screwed off the sliced suppressor, and clipped onto it a rocket-propelled grenade.

And reaching behind her, she grabbed two more sniper rifles. On them, grappling hooks.

She fired one grappling hook past Riu, sending the dart crunching five feet to the left of Riu. She glanced at it, and then shrugged. Anything to get her out in the open.  
Desiräe's grappling line retracted, sending her flying at Riu. Halfway through, she fired the other sniper line, and let go of the first. She drew the RPG sniper just as she swung at Riu.

"Heh"

The warhead flew in a spiral at Riu, straight at her chest.  
Riu looked up, and then was swallowed up by a huge fireball.  
And then nothing.


	18. Chapter 19

32

He ran forwards, sliding on the slick surface of the soaked train roof. Cannon blasts of water tore up the ground around him as he dodged their torrential force by a hair. Rhiem charged forwards on water-soaked wings finding his ground and using it to slide to his target. He spun just as a well-aimed jet of water nearly took off his head. He bounced on his spring-loaded left foot, while pulling down the Anacholite Helm that Vulcan had gave him. The particular eye slit gave him the appearance of a modern spartan, a lean tank of destruction.

He spun forwards, letting his right heel drive into the Royal Lugus' solid crown.

He felt the metal give, if only slightly.  
And then, the Royal Lugus let loose again, another huge out-pouring of water out of it's spongy mane, sending Rhiem flying on a sphere of water. Rhiem tumbled, and then slid far down the roof tops of the train until he lay still at KJ's feet.

"I felt it give a little more that time," Rhiem said as he opened his mask. The greek helm released about a gallon full of water that it had trapped.  
"Seriously, this ain't gonna to work!" KJ ground his teeth. Rhiem had been charging at king drone over, for the past fifteen minutes, collecting hard bruises and a near concussion on the way. The Anacholite suit protected most of the damage, but the shots were taking it's toll. "You can't fight these things blow-for blow."

The Royal Lugus rolled to the side, and then slipped into the water. Both Rhiem and KJ tensed up, but the crocodile machine simply jumped back out, a couple of seconds later, landing square onto the thundering train. It's mane was plump and full; it seemed content to let the humans fling themselves at it over and over.  
"We have to stop it from getting more water." KJ said...

Rhiem turned his gaze down to the aqueducts.

He raised his gun, and fired straight down. The rounds cracked into the concrete of the canals, and blew up, destroying the waterway.

The Royal Lugus roared at this; it was not stupid, it knew it needed water to fight. It leaped once, and then rocketed on it's hidden water jets at Rhiem, who was turned to the second aqueduct. It opened it's maw, ready to dash Rhiem's brains on it's lower teeth.

Rhiem turned, his mask on.  
"Surprise," he growled. His hands were empty, but his feet were dug into the roof of the train, and he braced himself.

The jaw connected with heavy vambraces, and both man and beast went carving into the roof of the train. Rhiem's boots carved deep welts into the steel roof, but his suit let him stay upright.  
They began to slow down, and the Royal Lugus' feet touched the ground once more.  
It began to twist, trying to shake off the human that had grabbed it.

"Not a chance," KJ said. He held the Vicious Tigress like a whip, sending the whip-like machete attachment spiraling into the Royal Lugus' legs. The line whipped around the rather short legs, instantly tripping it, sending it sprawling.

KJ ran up, right above the Royal Lugus, in the rushing winds of the train.  
"Dragon Breath!"

He drew out two huge handfuls of flammable powder, and blew them at the lugus.  
A mini-inferno engulfed the machine, sending it howling it's mechanical screams into the air. The fire quickly died out, but it's mane was severely burned, being porous and soft.

"Not done yet," Rhiem said. He caught his Vicious Tigress from KJ, and jammed the machete deep into the Royal Lugu's head. The blade nailed deep into the steel skull, fixing both the upper section, and the lower jaw together.

He fire, at point-blank range, five rounds before quickly pulling out. The rounds exploded, sending a small shock-wave into the air, and the Lugus' processing unit against it's much harder inner skull.

Rhiem turned, just as the Royal Lugus collapsed.  
"C'mon," He said to KJ. "We should be almost there."

The Royal Lugus rose, it's head nearly in two pieces, barely alive, and it's soul gear flashing like a siren.

Water was drawn from it's cooling unit, mixed with the heavier fluids of antifreeze to produce a single, final armor-piercing shot. The water collected at it's mouth, churning and churning into a sphere-

Rhiem spun, and fired into it's broken mouth.  
"Stay dead."

The round blew away it's final moments, and it tumbled into a heap off the side, and was crushed by the wheels of the monorail train.

Desiräe muttered into her radio, curled up into a ball at the edge of the amphitheatre.  
"Yeah, that's right. The emissary from Oilang... No, only a young girl."

Htu spoke at his normal voice through the other end, but it seemed like a whisper.  
"Her capabilities?"

Desiräe smiled faintly.  
"Excellent. You should see for yourself. Feckin' crazy. Some kind of super-natural shield thing. I got lucky. Girl didn't know that the warhead I shot was full of Z2O, knock-out gas. She blocked it... but not the gas."

Desiräe glanced at the monster tied up on the other end, her silver hair hanging over her unconscious figure.  
"Little mental capabilities when in this state, for self-preservation at least. But that sword... and that shield... Both valuable weapons. We could benefit very much from them."

"Was there anyone with her?"  
"Um... yes. Some other girl. Some kind of singer. Lucky girl; my bullet just missed her heart."  
"Alright. Bring them back as prisoners, alive."  
"Unharmed?"  
"In any way. I have plans."

Desiräe nodded, and then confirmed, her face impassive and cold. She was always like this after fight, drained of emotion and feelings. She switched off the radio, and then motioned with her hand. Three Guild Shadows rose from nowhere, and grabbed the two bound girls, rougher than necessary, and shifted off into shadows.

Desiräe walked out with them, out to the open. She gazed out, and spotted a monorail, far, far in the distance, glowing a faint blue. There was a paler shade of pink into the front, apparently driving the train, while there were two, furious red figures sitting at the roof. They had the aura of warriors. They must be her friends.

Although she didn't tell Htu, the silver-haired girl had one last retribution. A great slash just before fainting, and a terrible gash in Desiräe's left arm. She had bandaged it... but the wound persisted.  
She smiled to herself. She had a shot at revenge.

It was late at night.

Rhiem and KJ had departed off the rail to the area near the hotel. They moved silently in the night, to the great Remington Hotel. Rhiem found the entrance to their hideout, the cover to it, that vital piece of corrugated steel, left on the side, carelessly, like a piece of trash.  
Rhiem felt a lurch in his stomach. And then a second one.  
He looked down, and saw the street spin under his feet.

At the edge of his sight, he glimpsed KJ pitch and collapse.

He saw the hypodermic dart in his neck.  
He touched it lightly, before the world around him dissolved.

And a woman's voice, smooth and dangerous drifted into his thoughts.  
"C'mon. We're going to see Htu."

It was at the Central Command Complex where it happened. Some grotesque ritual that muttered of ancient times. Over five hundred people tied up in a great circle at the center of the Central Complex. They were all between thirteen and forty years old, most of them fit men, and a great portion warriors of the PFA, or Dasiokas residents.

Htu strode down the line of them all. His pale white hair drifted in the air like silky tentacles, in soft lengths to his shoulder. On his pale skin was an angry red scar, which twisted from his right knuckles up his arm and onto his face. The scar had cut a humorless grin onto Htu's face, which screamed irony against his cruel, pale face. His eyes were harder than rock, and colder than ice. They were blue, perhaps, but had since then been drained of color.

Htu glanced at one young man, blood running down his face, and down his shirt. He could hav ebeen no more than eighteen. He was tied to a wooden pole like everyone else, but he had a bad leg and was struggling to stay up. His young eyes darted fearfully at the pale man in front of him.

Htu motioned to his bodyguard. Who nodded, and then shot the boy in the chest until he stopped struggling; blood pooled down his by his feet.

"We cannot offer such... low quality to our leader." Htu said, perhaps to no one in particular. "It is improper to even think of it."

Rhiem gazed upon this macabre performance with horror. The chief was inhuman! He hung tied to an identical wooden post, next to KJ, who was still snoring off the side, and he could barely glimpse Riu's silver hair hanging off another unconscious figure a hundred feet away.

He struggled once more against his bindings, but they were like iron! He had the good fortune of still having his combat suit- the Guild Proper men seemed to not have thought much of it, but his gun and tomahawk was gone. Similarly, KJ's powderpacks were gone, and Rhiem could see Riu's sword hanging shamefully on some Guild Shadow's hip, like a spoil of war. The Shadow seemed pleased with herself, and touched the blade often.

Htu tensed up, and looked to the sky.

"They're here."

Shadowy forms appeared in the distance, flapping their huge wings in the night. As they drew near, their model was more clear.

Wrath LOS Type 3. They were an upgrade of the standard Wrath LOS - more heavily armored, and thicker in places where it mattered, such as the connection between the tail and the body, and the neck. The new Wrath LOS was shaped more like a tank; the thing wore it's fresh red coat with the most pride a machine could have. They were superiors to their rust-colored cousins.

And on one, something more fearsome than the whole wing of Wrath T3s put together.  
A young man, with a fierce face that had been dulled by something deep inside. He had a horrendous scar on the left side of his face that did not seem to be from an injury. The man was fiercely muscular, and clung onto the standing harness on his Wrath T3 with ease.

And on his head, a shock of silver and black hair.

The Lead Wrath T3 touched down, with the man jumping nimbly off the wyvoid.

Htu drifted forwards, and knelt at the young man's impassive face.  
"My lord..."

The man merely replied,  
"Acolyte. Is this the new group of people I will convert?"  
"Yes, master." Htu mumbled. He avoided eye contact. "Your merchandise-"  
"People."  
"Y-Yes, your people are here."

The man nodded, and then turned to face them  
"Good. Now just-"  
The man stopped. He was left staring at Riu, who was slowly waking.  
He seemed shocked.  
The man turned to Htu.  
"Acolyte. Where did you find this one?"  
"This one-? An emissary from Oilang. Very talented, master. If you don't mind me saying, it took a lot of effort-"  
"Enough." The man's tone was not harsh, but impatient.

He lightly brushed Riu's hair.  
"Yeta... Impossible, here?"  
"What-?"

The man brought out a glowing crystal. He held it up to the sky, where the new rays of sunrise could shine through it. With a single motion, he crushed it, sending the pieces scattering.  
"Cyrus! Jade!"  
Cyrus came first, the broken pieces of crystal reforming- along with the rest of him clutching the crystal. His silver hair was casually tossed over his head, which struck out of a black Archeria uniform. His cocky look slowly turned into one of disbelief as he saw the man, and Riu.

Jade came second, her sad eyes coming deep out of her forming figure. Her shining hair was wrapped into two tails, over the sides of her head. She was wearing a sleek black uniform that curved against her thin figure.

As soon as Jade saw Riu, the girl gave out a half-choke, half-gasp.

Cyrus turned first to the man.  
"Args... What have we here?"

Htu came forwards, as overwhelmed as his pale face could be, bowing low to Cyrus, and then to Jade, who ignored him.  
"Master Cyrus... let me explain..."  
"Quiet, scum." Cyrus muttered. Htu stepped back, injured inside.

"So, Args. What do we have..." Cyrus glanced over at Riu who was rolling her head around. "Here?"

The man known as Argus did not fall for Cyrus' provocations. "Cyrus... Jade... We need to figure out what happens next. Should we tell Mother?"

Jade stepped forwards, her eyes longing, but Argus stopped her.  
"No. Don't go to her just yet."  
Cyrus clicked impatiently.  
"Let's just cart her back to Mother. Make it simple."  
Argus shook his head.  
"We may hurt her; you remember the condition she was in before!"  
"Oh shut up, Args. We won't damage her." He walked forwards, and knocked Riu on the head. Her eyes were beginning to open...

He rapped his knuckles against Riu's temple.  
"See? Tough as a roach."

"STOP!"

At once, Rhiem drew the attention of everyone conscious person in the complex. Immediately, guild knights drew pistols and cocked them against Rhiem's head.  
Htu himself came over, a rare snarl on his face.  
"How DARE you..." He muttered. "How DARE you interrupt my masters, you piece of shit!"  
Htu drew a heavy pistol and pressed it against Rhiem's head.  
"Hey!"  
Cyrus smiled, and walked over to Rhiem's post. "You again."  
Rhiem just snarled. Cyrus clucked his tongue. "Really, good job on guarding your girls, by the way. One captured, and one captured and dying."  
"SHUT UP!"

Argus snapped.  
"Cyrus! Don't get distracted!"  
Cyrus turned to Argus, a look of annoyance on his face.  
"Why don't you *bleep* off?" Cyrus said.  
Argus growled at Cyrus, who put on a look of mock fear. "Oh, no, the big scary Argus is going to punish me."  
"You disrespect everyone around you, Cyrus. Mother, me, there is a limit." Argus thumbed something in his pocket. "And that limit has dire consequences."

"You're not strong enough to scare me, and you thinking otherwise is boring me."

Riu was almost fully conscious now.

"Really Boring me."

Cyrus strode over to Riu, pulling something out of his pocket. A shining stone, set in a gear.  
"Let's make this interesting!"

Rhiem saw this, and yelled and yelled, struggling at his ropes, until two guild knights smashed armored elbows into his gut.

Cyrus held the stone to Riu's head just as Argus yelled out his protest, bringing out the thing in his pocket.  
Riu woke up, and then screamed an unholy scream.  
"Time to wake up, Yeta!" Cyrus yelled gleefully.

Riu screamed as the stone's light cut into her. A ghostly wind shook the compounds, and everyone, from the Guild Knight, to the unconscious hostages, to the forms of Argus and Jade, and most of all, Cyrus, who was gritting his teeth against the force.  
The pure wave of something, something neither good nor bad, but of another level of dimension... sliced through every heart in the area.  
Riu fell silent then, and very still.

Rhiem could not speak. He could only see Riu stir.

Riu looked up, panting. Her eyes bored into Cyrus with a sense of deep-seated loathing.

"Cyrus...Release me."

"Now."


	19. Chapter 20

33

"Heh."

"Haha..."

"HAHAHA!" Cyrus let out a maniacal laugh, echoing through the silent complex. "Yeta! You're back!"  
She returned his laughter with a cold glare.  
"Release me." her lips barely moved as they whispered her command.

Cyrus smirked, and then drew a small knife. He slit the ropes holding Riu, who dropped down without a sound.  
"Cyrus!" Argus marched angrily forwards, drawing out what seemed to be a black tome. "How dare you disobey-"  
"Shut up." Cyrus muttered. "You can't ever shut your goddamn mouth. I'm going to tear you a new one."

He drew an ice-white handgun with deliberation, and pulling back the hammer. Cyrus took the weapon and planted the barrel on Argus' forehead.  
Argus thrust his black tome in front of him, and then clenc-

"Hey." Riu said, rolling her neck. "Stop it. You're both annoying."

The two men, both towering over Riu, weapons already drawn, stared at her, who was standing there, disarmed, with a measure of fear.

Riu turned to Desirae, who was standing by with Riu's sword, carefully holding back, in case something bad happened.  
"You. Return my weapon."

Desirae hesitated, hand on the AG saber at her hip.

"I know what you're thinking, Acolyte. I'm might kill you with the weapon that you return." Riu fixed Desirae with a vicious glare. "But know this... you have two options right now. You return the sword to me, and I may not kill you. Or, I kill you right now, and pry my weapon from your dead corpse."

"Your choice."

Desirae cautiously handed the AG saber over, by the strap of the sheath.

"Good." Riu looked up at Desirae.

A sudden swoop, a flash of light, and suddenly, Desirae was gasping, a sword hilt-deep in her gut. The Guild Shadow grasped at the metal, and then fell as Riu pulled the blade out.

"That was for Tiana."

She had stabbed her with the Mercy Blade.  
Desirae lay on the ground, immobilized by the racking pain in her stomach.

Cyrus grit his teeth. An armed Yeta made matters a million times more complicated.  
"Actually Yeta, that reminds me." He turned the handgun to Riu. "Mother wanted me to do something for her." He tilted his head. "Just tying up some loose ends.

"Sorry."

He squeezed the trigger, aiming straight at Riu. The handgun chambered the round, and the hammer of the handgun swung forwards.  
"No!" yelled Rhiem. But his voice was joined by another. Jade's.

A crackling circle, seemingly made of pure light, locked around Cyrus' hand. The hammer of the handgun froze in mid-swing, and his hand was stuck in that position, holding him in. He struggled once with the lock, with an annoyed curio.

Jade, breathing hard, tears streaming slowly down her face, flexed her gloves again. She had on her hands, pure white gloves, that snapped and cracked with energy.

The lock, with Cyrus' hand, swung to the ground. It then released, sending the handgun back into it's original position.

"Jade... Are you disobeying Mother?" Cyrus sneered, half-angry, half-amused.  
Jade shook her head, eyes shut.  
"No killing... No more hurting anyone." She sniffed. "Yeta!" She ran to Riu, who regarded Jade with a far softer face.  
"Jade..."  
Jade hugged Riu tight around the middle, who lightly patted the younger girl at the back of the head. "Jade, I'm so sorry...for everything that's happened."

Rhiem was silent. He stared on, never blinking, at Riu, who was a different person. Who was she? How did she know these... these people?  
He had a sudden sweeping feeling of helplessness. Riu... Her body, her face, her tone, they were now lined with hidden and past pains.  
Most of all, her eyes. They were deeper than ever before, and filled with endless melancholy.

"Riu..." he breathed.  
Riu heard her name being whispered.

She looked up, slowly, past, Jade, sobbing at her shoulder, past Cyrus, who was massaging his wrist; it had been nearly broken by the force of Jade's lock, past Argus, who was standing, black tome at his side, unsure at what to do, at what his precious Mother would want him to do...

At Rhiem. And he looked right back.

"Oh god, Rhiem..." She bit her lip, and she gripped harder onto Jade. "Rhiem, you have to be hating me..."

I lied to him without knowing. I stole his trust with my ignorance. But now I know my crimes.

"Enough of this drama." Cyrus grabbed a crystal from his neck. "I've got a job to do." He crushed the crystal, sending the pieces scattering.

"Cyrus!" Argus yelled."You can't call him here! All these people need to be converted!"

Cyrus looked up, the pieces sweeping around him, now in a torrent of glittering shards.  
"Shut up." He shot Argus in the chest. Argus flew back from the impact, landing flat on his back, stunned.

The shards spun around, faster and faster, multiplying, until they began to take on a shape. A huge shape.  
First, the massive steel-gray foot that Rhiem had seen so many days back when Cyrus made his first threat. Then, an equally massive steel-gray leg, that was joined by four more. These legs supported a colossal body, shaped nothing more or less like a mountain.

The head flickered into place, a shovel-like jaw that jutted out in front of the relatively tiny, evil eyes. It was covered in steel-gray, almost silver plates, that fitted perfectly onto the huge form. It seemed to have no weakness, not one on the entire figure.

Riu looked up, from underneath the huge shadow of the gargantuan machine.  
"Ulkis has grown," She quipped.

Cyrus, standing on the top of the huge machine, laughed.  
"He's not Ulkis anymore. He's Ulkhanns. And he's the last thing you'll ever see."  
He held in his hand, a shining Soul Gear, the silver-gray of Ulkhanns.  
"Good-bye, Yeta."

The huge machine moved slowly, deliberately, exhaling forwards a tidal wave of frost.

"No!" Jade rushed forwards, clutching her crystal Soul Gear. The Crystal burst, flickering into shape something that was horse-shaped, and running fast towards the wave. The thing formed into shape just as Jade screamed out, Riu closing her eyes in what seemed to be tired exasperation.

"_Beigweimen!_ Northerly Gate of the Turtle! Lock!" A circular lock, again made of pure light, but three stories tall, formed immediately in front the horse shape.

The horse then completed, dazzling everything around it. It was twice as large as a normal horse, and even though it was infinitely small in comparison to the hulk that Ulkhans was, radiated just as much energy.  
It's hoofs thundered with power on the dirt ground, and electricity skirted along it's sides.

"Come! Qilin!" The Qilin cantered back to Jade, and let Jade pet it on it's long face. A shining horn crackled on it's forehead, it bore only a slight resemblance to the cute unicorns of fantasy.

"Jade...", called out Cyrus. "You're going have to choose, now. Between Mother and Yeta. If not..." He glared down at Jade. "I'll have to kill you."

He turned to Argus, still stunned. "And Argus will help me. 'Cuz he puts mother first."  
Argus said nothing, being unconscious.

Jade shook her head, not deliberately, but out of being torn between two inner forces.  
"No..."

Then a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Jade."

Riu made her first step all night.  
"It's alright. You don't have to disobey Mother, or fight me. Just drop the lock, and let your sister handle it."  
Jade looked up at Riu, and then nodded, lowering the lock. The crackling stopped, and the wave of frost collapsed.

"Well?" Riu yelled. "You want to kill me, right?" Her silver hair shook as she yelled. It matched the color of Cyrus' and Jade's perfectly, along with the strands in Argus' mix.

"SO DO IT!" She screamed,

Cyrus grit his teeth, smiling in his special maniacal way.  
"YETAA!" Cyrus yelled, He swung his hand forwards.  
At this, Ulkhans charged, it's huge foot bearing down on Riu.

The massive foot could completely cover Riu; it swung down with a force that could pulverize tanks, but-

GROOAR!

Ulkhanns was struck in the face. Not by a round, or by a missile. But by a hurtling machine.

The machine rolled back, and flapped it's wings, its silver scales shining in the darkness. It's wings swung out like an eagle, it's poisonous tail flickered gracefully in the air, and it had the balanced form of a true wyvern. it's armor shone in the night, fitting perfectly over it's form.  
The Wrath LOS.

Its mark on its face, where the Teacher's RPG struck, was apparent, like a scar, and it had pock marks all over where it had been hit by the Quad Cannon.

Rhiem knew why he hadn't noticed it before. Instead of the rust-color that the Wrath LOS usually had, this one was pure silver, like a brilliant moon against the twilight sky. The first Wrath LOS he had seen...  
He shivered. It had been this? It trembled and breathed power; why wasn't he a blackened crater back in Autzwutch?

He knew once again.

"Riu..." He breathed. "Riu's your operator. You weren't trying to kill us..." He thought the last part.__

You were just trying to protect her. Like me.

Riu walked up to the silver Wrath LOS.  
She placed her hand on the face crest of the machine.  
"Ravenna..."  
The machine lowered it's huge head in a caressing nudge. "It's good to see you again, too."

"And now..." She raised both her weapons to Cyrus, on Ulkhanns.

"Let's settle this once and for all, Cyrus."  
Both blades, Mercy and Ag, flickered out. They spun around her form faster than the eye could see, but they did so with all the majesty in the world.  
She spun the blades in both her hands, and ended in a finishing form.

_Heh. Not rusty._

"Prepare yourself."


	20. Chapter 21

34

_KRAANNNG!_

Riu's vicious blade slammed against Cyrus' pistol, the edge whirled around and around, carving so many paths in the air it seemed as if the two were fighting in a cage of shimmering light. With every slash, Riu carved, and set, yet another razor-sharp arc that would linger there, trapping and limiting every movement that Cyrus could make.

He was just barely able to block each of Riu's slashes; each time she swung, and he blocked, his limbs trembled with strain, and he was a closer and closer to losing his life with every move he made.

Cyrus grit his teeth, and took a chance, and lashed out with his foot. Riu either anticipated this, or twisted away with incredible speed, for Cyrus struck nothing but thin air.

She was behind him, bringing the Ag saber down in a heavy slam.

He turned, and just managed to block the blade; the metal of his pistol was a hair from his face, as it bore the burnt of Riu's blow. There was a tremendous clang of metal on-metal that filled the dark complex.

She smirked, and slipped under his guard, striking him across the temple with the hilt of her blade.

Cyrus fell, and tumbled across the stone ground.

Behind him, Riu's Wrath LOS, Ravenna, struck a crushing blow onto Cyrus' hulk of a machine, Ulkhanns.

Cyrus rolled up, clutching his face in pain.  
"Yeta!"  
He raised his gun and fired it. But it was a different shot than the one that struck Argus. It was filled with an icy wind, and arced and twisted with Riu's movements.

"The same, boring tactics as before, huh, Cyrus?"  
Riu took a small step to the left, and stared down the bullet of ice racing towards her.

She tilted her head, and the bullet overshot, soaring past her ear.

Riu took a step forwards and slashed at the air in front of her, carving a shimmering blade that flew towards Cyrus. He had to lunge to the side, and he only managed a wild shot towards Riu as he rolled.

KAAM!

Riu had thrown herself in front of the bullet, and blocked it with the shimmering wall. Ice was crawling across the shimmering wall, slowly, through it, closer and closer to Riu.

"What-?" Cyrus muttered, "What are you-?"

Riu said nothing, and stared straight back at Cyrus.  
He looked past her, and saw… Rhiem was tied up behind her.  
"Heh…"

His confidence flooded back, and he spread his arms, laughing.  
"Yeta! You still give a damn about that boy!" His laughing turned downwards, and he closed his eyes as he ran a hand through his hair. "Shit! I didn't think you had it in you! You, the coldest bitch of us all!"

Riu stayed silent.

"Well," Cyrus, said, still chuckling, "Works for me." He raised his gun again-

Riu turned to Jade.  
"Jade, could you do me a favor?"  
Jade nodded, and then shut Cyrus completely in over a dozen different locks. He screamed, and yelled his indignation until Jade locked his head.

Riu lowered the wall, and turned back to Rhiem, avoiding his eyes.

She silently cut the bindings fixed on him, and then started patting his chest and waist, straightening his armor.  
"Acolyte Htu!"

Htu, still confused, merely looked at Riu in a frightened manner.

"Escort every hostage in this complex to a safe location. And take my dear brother," She nodded to the stunned form of Argus. "Take him to a resting area. He will not require anything comfortable. Understood?"

"I'm sorry for having interrupted your conversion session, but please do as I say, now."

Htu stood there, for a long time, and then nodded. He motioned to his Knights and Shadows to start transporting all of the hostages out.  
As his men worked around him, he looked from Riu, to Jade, and then risking a wayward glance at Cyrus, who was still struggling against his locks, and then left with his men, most of which were hefting two or three people on their backs.

Within seconds, the complex was cleared of everyone except Jade, Cyrus, and Riu.

Jade shared a meaningful look with Riu, and then she left, unlocking her locks one by one until Cyrus was free.

Cyrus was tired, humiliated, and scared. He shot a hateful look at Riu, who was rolling her neck.

"Well?" Riu gave her neck a solid crack. "Come on, then. I don't have all day."  
Cyrus roared at Riu, and charged at her, firing bullets.  
"Fool," She muttered, and swung her blade.

Behind them, Ravenna and Ulkhanns clashed once again.

Rhiem ended up walking right at the behind Htu. There was something more than an awkward silence between them. It was an uncertainty, of being thrust into a situation never anticipated or occurred before.

When they were in an empty section of the complex, a mere quad of flat concrete marked only by an Olympic-sized swimming pool, Htu nodded at his men, who started dumping the unconscious bodies into a disorderly heap off the side.

Rhiem spotted KJ being thrown onto the side, his arm lolling of by his side. A slight movement of his arm, almost too much of a coincidence, fell next to his powder packs.

_Coincidence?_

Htu turned to Rhiem, with his icy glare. The two stared each other down for a while.

"I don't know who you are… What you have to do with my masters… but it doesn't matter."  
Rhiem said nothing, and being unarmed, didn't do anything.

"I do not answer any random slut who claims to have lordship over me! We shall return after your death, and assist Master Cyrus, killing the false mistress for all the worth she is!"  
He drew his pistol, and pressed it against Rhiem's head.  
"My master's troubles end with you, vermin!"

Rhiem stared into the barrel, fearless.  
"Don't count on it."

At this, KJ, who was pretending to be asleep, sprang up, hands already digging into his packs for powder.  
Htu couldn't resist twirling around, pale hair flying in the air, to face his attacker.  
KJ sprinted towards Htu, only a couple of yards away. He flinched as a bullet whizzed by his feet, and a Guild Knight yelled at him and charged; he leaped up as Rhiem stepped out of the way.  
He blew, mixing the powders together and flaring a huge fireball that engulfed Htu. The Guild chief screamed as a mini-inferno raged around him.

Behind him, Guild Knights and Shadows roared, charging at Rhiem, drawing their weapons.

Rhiem charged into the dying inferno, and grabbed the burnt form of Htu just as the last wisps of flame clung to his form.  
It was horrific. Htu's flesh was charred and blackened, and his pale hair was crisped into a dark black. His lips were burned back, and his eyes, frozen open without eyelids, were now streaked with black, his pale scar that ran across his face was now a bright pink against his blackened and oozing skin.

Rhiem grabbed Htu's arm, on it, Htu's charred pistol, and turned to his attackers.

He twisted the heavy pistol sideways to face the right-most man, a short Guild Shadow who was raising his rifle, held his breath, and fired. The extra stopping power of the heavy pistol slammed into the Shadow's gut, and the recoil of the gun swept Rhiem's hand to the left. The recoil swept further, until it was almost at the next target, and he pulled the trigger again, knocking a Guild Knight to the ground, head smashed, and sword clattering to the ground.

The recoil swept the gun even faster, and he swiftly pulled the trigger again.

With each shot, the gun moved faster and faster, until he was at the very left of his side, and there were no more enemies.

It took less than a second.

Rhiem let go of Htu, who collapsed at his feet, oozing blood onto the ground. Black blood stained his Anacholite suit, and the gun felt gritty and warm.

KJ blew the dust off his hands, one hand at a time, and then wiped them on his shirt.

"Nice move. Saved our asses there."  
Rhiem smirked.  
"Nice acting."  
KJ smiled grimly, looking at the crumbled black form of him of Htu.

Rhiem glanced at the heavy pistol.  
"It's called bandit shooting. Turn a handgun with heavy recoil sideways, and sweep across from the right, to the left, and let the recoil do all the work."

He was silent for a moment.  
"Captain Auder taught me it."

"…"  
"So what are we going to do, Rhiem?" KJ said, searching one of the knights for a gun.  
Rhiem looked at KJ.  
"What are you talking about?"  
"About that girl. With the silver hair. You like her, don't you?"

"You didn't tell me that you knew someone like that. An Archeries Illuminate."

"But it looked like they were having an argument or something. She's fighting. What about you?"

Rhiem couldn't answer. _Riu… what she was… she obviously wasn't popular back where she was from.  
But she can handle herself… _Rhiem thought, _look at her. She's outgrown my protection._

Is that cowardice? a little voice in his head told him. Is it?

_I'm not a coward if there's no reason to be a hero-!_

_Not cowardice from danger. Cowardice from her. Riu. Can you face her after this ordeal ends?_

Can you, Rhiem?

Can you?

"YOU!"

KJ and Rhiem spun around, facing the huge pool behind them. Drops of blood mixed with black pieces of skin trailed away from them, down into the murky water that had sat for decades.

Htu stood, burned flesh and all, somehow in the center of the pool.

_That must hurt like a bitch,_ Rhiem thought, as he saw the water eat away at Htu's exposed flesh, depositing pieces of Htu in a ring all around him.

"I'll slaughter you!" He screamed, "I'll feed your corpses to the crows, and then scatter their shit to the winds! I'll destroy everyone, everything you ever loved! I'll grind your bones down to-Gaak!"  
Htu choked on something in his seared throat. He fell to his knees, gasping.  
Impressively, he regained his composure, despite being covered in surface burns.  
"Leviathan Lord."

He grasped a soul gear, with one disproportionably sized-tooth at one end.

And from behind him, rose It. It was hugely decorated with two impossibly sized horns. One horn was swelling, like a tumor, and covered half of It's face. It had a small, evil face that grinned humorously; perched on a body that folded and twisted in an enormous, eel-like form that writhed to move.

It almost completely took up the entire pool, with barely enough room to move. Rhiem hoped it couldn't move onto land.

One thrash of its colossal, oar-shaped tail crushed the concrete floor as it did Rhiem's hopes.

Inside It's mouth, Htu maneuvered the controls of It. He was not an Archeries, so he depended on manual controls and visuals to move It. A pity, he thought, as he winced over and over as me danced his seared fingers over the controls.

It's mouth hung open, so he could see clearly the two vermin who had done this to him. They were like irritant flies to be swept away by the power of his masters and Archeria.  
Rhiem pulled KJ back, trying to bring him back, away from the fearsome sight of It. KJ just stood there, transfixed with horror.  
"KJ! We have to go!"

"Don't count on it," Said Htu from It's loudspeakers, mocking the words that precluded his fiery torture.  
At his voice, five Guild Knight came marching out of the nearby showers, clutching a prisoner.  
Rhiem saw.  
He was Kilo, the logistic driver. He was violently beaten, by the looks of it. His left half of his dark face was puffed up and swollen, and both his ankles looked broken. Blood seeped from under his shirt, where Guild Proper must have done horrific damage.

"Recognize him, vermin?" Shouted Htu. "Unless you'd rather see him die like the dog he is, both of you are going to stand right there!"

Rhiem glanced first at Kilo, who was barely breathing, then Htu.

"KJ, take Tiana from that pile of people, and get out of here."  
"HEY!" yelled Htu, "Didn't you hear me?—"  
"I did." Rhiem said.  
He was very still, looking only at the ground.  
"Now you listen. Release Kilo. Get your men to carry the rest of these people out of here. Let my friends pass."  
Htu could hardly believe his ears.

"What?" He said, laughing "You're not in any position to bargain, vermin! You—"  
"I am." Rhiem pulled Htu's pistol out of his holster. "If not, I'll kill myself. KJ could, too, if he wants. Seems like an easy way out compared to what you have planned for us."

"And so what? You're right, I do have plans for that asian there, and I'm itching to carry them out! You just think I'm going to let you all just walk free?"  
"You're wrong." Rhiem stared at Htu. "I'll stay here."

Htu was very quiet as he contemplated this.

"Fine." He nodded at his men, who started to carry out his orders. There was a meaningful look in Htu's eyes that was not missed by Rhiem. They were going to double-cross them as soon as they were out of sight.  
But, he thought, they were underestimating KJ. That's fine. Anything better than this.

In a couple of minutes, the whole area was cleared.

"I'm going to enjoy this, vermin." Htu flexed his burned fingers, sending jolts of pain through them. "This is not going to be quick. You are not going to like it."  
"Nah." Rhiem said. "Let's make it quick, I have business to take care of."  
"Hah! What business would you have, dead?"  
"I need to see someone… for the first time."

Riu.

Rhiem stared into Htu's eyes. A shiver went down Htu's spine as he could see the fire in Rhiem's eyes. Behind him, the shadow of someone, clad in black armor, and holding a humongous great sword, stood over him.

"Let's do this."

* * *

35

It moved slower than he thought, Rhiem mused. The forked tail of It moved almost painfully slow, furling and uncurling over where he was almost three seconds ago, albeit completely obliterating everything beneath it. The tail flipped to the side, and started sweeping after him, moving at speeds that Rhiem related to a medium-speed bicycle.

Rhiem could literally grab onto it, and climb over the 20ft tall tail; it was moving so slow.

What was it's deal-

..  
It's other end, the head and body, no doubt the more lethal half, was flopping about in an Olympic pool that was nearly empty now.

A distraction.

Shit.

Rhiem turned, trying to flee it's evil face. That face opened slowly, allowing a small glimpse of a burnt person inside operating it, and below it, an enormous cannon, wide enough for Rhiem to stand in.

He was almost there-  
just a few more feet-  
the grate-

The maw of the thing opened to it's fullest, and churning could be heard within it.

Rhiem lunged at the metal railings-

A tidal wave. It was a tidal wave trapped in a jet. The murky water was concentrated in more than a jet, more than a torrent, it was a continuous, liquid bomb. The storm shot out in a continuous barrage of water; it tore up the concrete showers that Rhiem was running in.  
The barrage swept from side-to side, tearing up every bit of surface there was.

The body of a Guild Knight, killed by Rhiem, was caught in the stream. For an instant, the stream flashed red, and then there was absolutely nothing left of the poor man. He had been vaporized by the pressure. There was nothing of the body left; just the ruins of concrete where the man laid.

Then, the stream ended, and there was only the ruins of concrete and water, now harmless, dripping off the cracked sides and snapped rebar wires.

Htu managed a grim smile, despite his burns. Was the boy truly dead? A pity, he had not programmed It to directly attack the boy, but accidents happen. He savored this power. It was times like this that he knew why he joined Archeria. Power. Power overwhelming. Beautiful, luscious power that was better than sex, better than drugs. Bliss.

Kam!

A single bullet whizzed off of It's huge horn.

Htu smiled.  
"How'd you do it, vermin? Better men than you have perished to the Leviathan Lord's current storm."

Rhiem didn't answer. He was hiding, under the ruins of concrete, under dripping water and crumbling stone. Breathing hard, too, for a ricochet of water had caught him in the elbow. Even his anacholite suit couldn't prevent the serious bruise that he felt in his arm. Swelling was already stiffening his arm.  
"Ah." Htu said, "The drainage sewers. Clever."  
Htu punched in the controls for greater piercing power. The next current storm would carve through the ten-foot thick concrete, and into the sewers. Already, the very sewers Rhiem was hiding in were dumping water back into Olympic pool, filling It back up again.

"Ready or not..." He gunned the trigger. "Here we come!" The jet, thinner now, cut through the sewers like a knife through hot butter. The performance was less combat, and more excavation. water shot out from the mining, bit of stone, parts of what Htu hoped to be a limb or two, and then-  
Rhiem burst through the wreckage. He wasn't hiding, he was charging towards Htu! Insanity!  
Htu turned the controls to face Rhiem. Already, the stream of water was carving it's was to Rhiem, gaining on him steadily as they both raced-

Rhiem grabbed onto It's tail and jumped onto it, while. Htu's eyes widened.  
"No!" The stream cut across It's tail, running a deep, deep cut into itself, it tore into the thick armor of It, and exposed metal muscles glistened before they were crushed by the jet of water.

Htu slammed onto the abort button, and the jet stopped. Rhiem was running the length of It, towards the head.

Htu grit his teeth.  
"Nice try." Htu set the current storm to a wider angle, and then had the machine to aim at Rhiem.

"Die!"  
Rhiem jumped, on the spring loaded-foot this time, and dodged the cone of water that now erupted from It's mouth. He raised the Heavy Pistol, at the open jaw, past the cannon-  
At Htu.

It was a shot in-a million. Flying through the air, a cone of water sweeping up towards him, his target a hundred yards away, and growing smaller by the second.  
He lined up his sights. The iron was charred- but it would be hard enough with a scope.

He aimed-

But his target was gone.  
The entire head of It had moved-  
With an awkward twist motion, It slammed Rhiem in the air, with it's little horn, and swept him off to the side. He tumbled through the air, and struck the water with a tremendous splash, the murky water frothed and hissed, until it cleared, and Rhiem floated to the surface, face up. He was barely conscious. There was no more fight in him.

Htu gripped the controls in anticipation. This was it. His skin, still raw and black and pink, was literally itching for revenge.

"Good-bye!"

The tail fell, this time helped by gravity, shook the air and swept the water in waves, as it bore down on Rhiem.  
He could only register the shadow, and the rumbling of the air around him.  
"Not yet," whispered a hoarse voice. "It's not time for you yet."

The tail fell, smashing through the water, through the concrete floor of the pool, leaving a meteor-like hole on the bottom.

...

"You alright, son?" Rhiem opened his eyes. They were on the side of the pool this time, but who was they?  
The masked face of the Wandering Merchant bore over him. "You alright?"

"...-why?"  
He heard a small chuckle, and then a footstep.  
"Let's just I owe yer dad one."

Rhiem looked down, feeling something claw at his back. He started at the sight of a completely mechanical cat, black-gray, with red eyes, carrying his entire weight, and his metal suit.  
"N-Nya?"  
"Scott here swam in, and pulled ya out just in time."  
"Nya."  
"He's damn stupid fer a feline comrade, but he's enough."  
Rhiem was, at this point, too tired to be surprised.

Htu was silent, drumming the controls. Was he frustrated, or happy that his prey managed to stay alive again? Htu did enjoy causing him pain, but too long and he would start to wonder himself whether his pride could take being bested by vermin for so long.

There was another one, a friend of that vermin's, perhaps, but there was no difference to him. One vermin or two, the Leviathan Lord would crush them all.

"Die!" He swung the enormous tail down on the two of them.  
The Merchant sighed.  
"Not yet."

He causally pulled a black and gray gear, etched in a digital camouflage design, with a single yellow lion etched on one side, and tossed the gear up in the air, above Scott. The mechanical cat leaped into the air, and grabbed the gear in mid-spin, yowling. The cat spun faster, and the grew while spinning. He fell back to the ground with a much heavier thud.

Scott was fully grown, with arms thick and large, black scales coated every inch of Scott. He had a prominent beak now, and fiery red eyes. Huge, over-sized arms with wings dwarfed it's relatively small legs; a long, elastic black tail swished impatiently. He had turned into a CUNarga.  
"Scott..." The Merchant said, "let's play."

Scott swung upwards, and smacked the tail like it was a toy. Not all of it was knocked upwards, only a huge section of the tail bulged upwards, and the Lord of the Seas shook from the impact.

Scott yowled, and then raced up the body of It with frenzied movements.

Down below, the Merchant turned to Rhiem.

"Rhiem... your gun's gone, right?" The Merchant dug for something inside his coat. He pulled out a huge, beautiful handgun. It was nickled-plated, but with generous amounts of black metal mixed in the slide and grip. A silver eagle shone on one side of the gun, engraved in silver on one side, and what looked like a compass that was inverted on the other.  
"Rhiem... this belongs to you."

Rhiem gripped the gun slowly, deliberately.

...

He felt its heartbeat.

...

"This gun, Rhiem was your father's. Lt. Gramais modified the Desert Eagle that he first used to become a hero in Rubina, ending the Crooksman creek massacre with it."

"It's called the Southern Eagle."

"Rhiem?"

The merchant saw a single tear drop on the concrete. Or maybe it was sweat. But when Rhiem resurfaced, there was a new look in his eyes.  
Rhiem pulled back the slide of the enormous, .845 caliber magnum, feeling the satisfying clack of the slide worm through his body. He felt what his father felt.  
CLACK!

"...good answer." The Merchant then turned to the fighting machines. "Now," his cockney accent flooding back with alarming quickness. "Let's see what the Archies put in their toys here."

Scott flew, tumbling in the air, and landing at a heap off to the side of the two. The Leviathan Lord roared with triumph, and swished it's tail about the air like a whip.  
Scott got up, gears whirring, and looking at the Merchant intently.  
The Merchant held the Faux gear up to his ear, and nodded.  
"Is that so? Really?" The Merchant turned to Rhiem. "Kid, you can handle that hunk of junk alright?"  
Rhiem nodded.  
"Good. Now trust me on this one: aim for the bighorn."  
"Is that it?" Inquired Rhiem.  
"That's it."  
Rhiem glanced down at the beautiful gun he had, his father's Southern Eagle, and then at the big horn of It.  
"Well, how could I miss...?"

Hoo-rah, muttered the Merchant.


	21. Chapter 22

36

Cover, charge.

Rhiem placed three shots dead into the crushing tail of the Leviathan Lord; the huge bullets slammed deep craters into the armor of It, shifting the appendage sideways the crucial few feet to create an opening for Scott to charge in. Scott raced up the slithering body of it, latching onto the smallest cracks, and finding leverage in the tiniest of holds.

Htu grappled with the controls, sending attack after attack at the black shadow that was assaulting his mech. Water jets, slams with fins, even a rocket-propelled spine that fired out of a secret hole within the machine. All struck nothing but air.  
Scott dodged each attack with ease, climbing level with the Leviathan Lord's face. With a vicious swipe, Scott swung at the big horn of It.

Htu twisted away just in time, and then swung the head of It to slam the little horn into Scott. The razor-sharp horn cut into Scott, and sent the feline comrade tumbling through the air.

"See?" muttered the Merchant. "He's afraid fer that horn. Rhiem, on you."  
Rhiem raised the Southern Eagle. "On it."

Right after It swung it's horn, the big horn swung in front of them, right in view.

KAM! KAM! KA-KAM!  
Rhiem sent four rounds deep into the big horn. The Leviathan Lord moaned, it's metal joints creaked, and it fell over, as Htu screamed his rage.  
It flopped over like a fish, before it regained it's balance, and turned to face it's opponents. The Rounds did a number on the horn. Four gaping holes shone like black stars on the beige colors of the Leviathan Lord's horn. It, the horn, was hanging on, but barely.

"Scott!" yelled the Merchant, "finish it!"

Scott, yowling, raced up the dazed Leviathan Lord' swaying body. It clawed up the slitherine form with ease, and then leaped at the damaged horn of It. It's black claw swiped at the broken part of it.

The claw rested on the broken part of It.

'No!" screamed Htu. he slammed a lever at his side, and then the Leviathan Lord exploded. In an enormous forest of blades. Every plate of armor unfolded, revealing a hidden blade, that shot out and joined its brothers in an ever-growing web of more and more blades that soon filled the air.  
Scott fell away again, this time, critically injured by the stroke of over two dozen blade.  
"Nya-a..." moaned the pitiful robot to its master.

The Merchant looked sadly down at his broken slave. "Scott... sorry." The Merchant patted the dying machine. "It was stronger than it looked."

The CUNarga seemed to nod, and then started closing it's eyes.

"Rhiem."  
"Yeah."  
"Listen to me, no matter what happens to me, yeh have to take out the big horn. It's the entire machine's sensor array; you take it out, yeh take out the entire machine's power to fight."  
The Merchant fixed me with something related to a glare.  
"Got it?"  
"...why are you telling me this?"

The Merchant stopped patting Scott, who's red eyes were slowly fading away.

The Merchant gripped the Faux Gear.  
"Come-"

The armor and body of the CUNarga started stripping away from the skeleton of Scott-

"Nox-"

The flew around the Faux Gear- Scott was nothing now, a forgotten frame in the wind-

"Naruga."

The pieces encased the Merchant. His heavy robe melted away, and was immediately replaced with heavy black armor. rotting clothes disappeared with ease, encasing their bearer in armor as black as night.  
His mask was last to go. For a second, Rhiem thought he saw a young face with fading black hair, but it was immediately replaced with another heavy, beak-like mask that enveloped his face completely.

"Cool, huh?" The Merchant flexed his now-powerful fingers. His hook was gone, it lay forgotten on the ground. His feet were now whole, and massaging the ground. "Rhiem, I'll try to fnish him right here."

The Merchant raced down towards It. A tail swipe bore down at him, but the Merchant jumped over the 20ft tail as easily as a hurdle on a track. He tumbled, and then recovered, racing up onto the body of it, and then towards the broken horn of it.  
Blades shot out, quivering in the Merchant's path all around it. He dodged the lethal obstacles with ridiculous ease, climbing up the body of it easier than most people scaled staircases.

The last blade was well-placed, and stood between him and his path of the horn. He swung with his gauntlet-armored fist, smashing the blade clean through, and reaching the horn of it.

With a powerful swipe, the merchant crushed the big horn of it; wires and oil gushed from the wound, and the enormous horn toppled from it's owner, striking concrete, and shattering in a million pieces.

"ARRGH!" Htu screamed as all his sensors went blank, or furious red with a thousand different errors. He fell with It was the top part of it slammed onto the concrete with a tremulous crash.  
The Merchant landed nimbly next to the wreckage of It.  
He stood up, and smiled at Rhiem with triumph. Not that he could see it, but hey.  
He gave a thumbs up.

Rhiem waved at him, and screamed, but it was too far. Too far to hear, but not too far to lip-read.  
"Get Out!"

The Merchant felt an crushing clamp about his waist, and he was now-staring into the evil face of It from It's teeth. The Merchant could see the fanatical Htu, working the controls sideways, feverishly, laughing manically with triumph.  
"You...You are all going to die; die here, die here for my master!"

A self-destruct siren wailed in the cockpit; the sound wafted down to the ears of the Merchant, and Rhiem.  
Htu, done with his final task, sighed with relief, and then died.

Rhiem started running to the Merchant, but he waved Rhiem back.

"Naw, kid. he's got me. Got me good." The Merchant tapped the metal teeth of the immobile It.  
"No!"  
"Kid-"  
"You've got so much more to say! Your past! My Father! Who are you?"

The self-destruct siren wailed on.

"Kid, let me cut you a deal." The Merchant stared at Rhiem. "If I survive, I'll tell you everything. Life, love, and your father. All of it will be yours. But you gotta run now."  
"But-"  
"I'm wearing Scott right now. I'm not totally lost, kid, run already."

"..." Rhiem thrust the Southern Eagle into his belt. "You! You better stay alive, or I'll drag you from Hell and kick your ass!"

"...heh, heh. Already assuming I'm going to Hell? Thanks for the vote of confidence kid."  
The Merchant looked at Rhiem again.  
"Kid... I hope to see you again."

Rhiem nodded, and then turned, and started running.

"I really do... kid."

The explosion was a beautiful white storm.

* * *

37

Rhiem ran, strides clattering loudly against the concrete floor, he was sprinting down a deserted corridor connecting the Pool to the Quad, where… where Riu was still fighting.

He quickened his pace, running faster until the walls and pillars around him turned into a surrounding gray blur.

KJ lay against the wall, in a parody of a sitting position. He clutched his ribs, where a careless step by him led to a searing cut in his ribs from the wild swings of a Guild Knight, around him lay the unconscious hostages that he had accompanied out, and the brunt corpse of the guards who ambushed him halfway through.

He was having problems breathing now. The bite of the wound on his side started to throb. If anyone… anyone at all came, he was finished.

The clattering of rapid footsteps clawed another wound of fear in his chest.

Rhiem could almost see the exit now- it was a solid wall of light ahead of him-

***

KJ closed his eyes in prayer.

***

Rhiem burst through the exit; the rising sun blinded him just for a second, and then he pressed on.

***

KJ saw Rhiem run through the his connecting corridor, focused ahead at something KJ could not see. Rhiem didn't even glance at him, he just ran through, oblivious to KJ and his plight. KJ tried to call out; a futile effort, he had barely enough energy to think.  
He watched as Rhiem ran out of sight, and into the Quad from where they came. KJ sighed. A pity.

***

A swish, and Cyrus predictably brought his gun up to block. Riu feinted, and then tore into Cyrus' left quadriceps with a vicious slash of the Mercy Blade. The boy roared with pain, and then buckled to the ground.

Riu brought the AG saber to his exposed throat. The razor edge hovered a hair away from death.

The silver Wrath LOS finally flipped the massive Ulkhanns, as the massive machine rolled on its back, the smaller Wyvoid flew up, and landed bodily on the chest of Ulkhanns, bringing its fang-filled maw to Ulkhann's throat.

Cyrus, too tired for words, too injured for rage, and too scared for action, hung his head down in defeat.  
"Do it," he whispered "…do it already"

Cyrus closed his eyes and waited. The new day's wind flew through the air, free once more. Seconds passed. Maybe minutes.

Yet the blow never came.  
"Do it already! I've lost! Kill me!" Cyrus lunged forwards, with wild eyes. "Yeta!"

He looked up, but Yeta was looking past him.

Cyrus turned. Her eyes drifted past him, to a figure standing alone at the entrance to the quad, almost twenty meters away. The wind swept his dust-blond hair across his eyes, and his gun had dropped to his side. She was looking at Rhiem, with the saddest eyes that Cyrus had ever seen her proud face make.  
Cyrus saw that idiot, that worthless scum standing like an ass, gun at his side, staring back at Yeta.

If he had any sense he would put a bullet into her face as soon as he could!

"Damn it!" roared Cyrus "You! YOU!"

Cyrus lunged for his gun and then brought it up to Rhiem.

A swift movement by Riu separated the gun from his owner, and long with a few extras.  
"ARGGH!" Cyrus pitched forwards, clutching his bloody stump of an arm.  
"Cyrus…" said Riu icily. "If you want me to kill you, all you have to do is repeat that stunt."

"Rhiem…"

Rhiem gave no notice that Riu said anything, and spoke to Cyrus.  
"You, where is Noa?"

There was a heavy silence as Cyrus struggled to collect his words.

"You…" Cyrus struggled to pull himself up on the concrete. "*bleep* you-Guh!" Riu kicked Cyrus in the face; he rolled over in pain, trailing blood on the concrete.  
"He asked you a question, Cyrus. Answer politely."

Eyes brimming hate and pain, Cyrus twisted to face Rhiem.  
"Stupid Shit. I showed you that kid's arm, didn't I? Why the *bleep* would I want just an arm for?"  
He smiled, despite the pain and humilation.  
"I am Noa. And he is me, now. I stole his body and his soul; he's mine now."

Rhiem betrayed no emotion.

"Oh." He pulled up his Southern Eagle. "If that's the case, then die-"

His gun was smacked away. From twenty meters away.

"Rhiem…" Riu walked slowly towards him. "I can't let you kill him."  
Rhiem said nothing.  
"He is a part of my family… my family before you."  
"I know… this is hard to swallow. But I have found my past once more. And I need to return, to a place where you cannot follow."  
She started crying, but her eyes remained strong.  
"Rhiem- good-bye." She drew both her sword to point to Rhiem. "And if you still insist to kill Cyrus,"

I will show you why I am called Archeria's Wild Rose.

Rhiem sprang into action, pulling the slide on his Southern Eagle, while leaping back. He pulled his mask down, and his face was shrouded in shadow.

Riu leapt backwards, drawing both her swords to full length. Her tattered Combat Jacket, given to her months ago when she and Rhiem first met, fluttered in the screaming wind. Behind her, her silver Wrath LOS, Ravenna, roared, and circled Riu with it's poisonous tail.

Rhiem brought the Southern Eagle to aim at Cyrus.

Riu slid in front of Cyrus, and brought her hands in front of her.

KAM! KAM! KAM!

Three enormous slugs slammed into Riu's shimmering shield. They struck the mystical force with tremor-like power, blossoming into metal mushrooms on impact.

Rhiem ran, spring-loaded feet launching him across the battlefield. A shimmering blade, aimed at his feet, slammed into the concrete, barely missing him as he jumped into the air.  
Rhiem stopped for only a second, by a crater left by a way-ward shot by Ravenna against Ulkhanns, and kicked a loose, basket-ball sized piece of concrete at Riu.

The rock flew forwards at dizzying speeds, to her chest.

Riu only had to slash once, and the halves of the rock flew past her.

"C'mon, Rhiem. You can do better than that."

This is the beginning of the end for us, Rhiem. Let's make it fun at least.


	22. Chapter 23

38

The brunt force of the shimmering shield was like an explosion, it grabbed you and slammed you against the very air itself, threatening to break everything in your body, and scatter the pieces to the wind.

Rhiem felt for sure, the only thing holding him together was the strands of his armor, which was already beginning to show strain.

He flew backwards, skidding on his feet, and then falling over on his hands. Pain blossomed in Rhiem like a bloody flower... He wanted nothing more than to just lay down and die.

He drew the Southern Eagle again, at Cyrus.

A glint of metal, too swift to be seen, knocked Rhiem's gun from his hands, sending the enormous piece of metal clattering against the concrete floor.

She punched Rhiem, striking Rhiem's cheekbone. A sharp CRACK! snapped through the night as bone collided with bone.

Her hand slipped down, resting on his collar.

So gentle.

She drew her fist in, dragging Rhiem with it. Her knee came up, and drove into Rhiem's gut. She then pushed out with the shin, striking the same spot, and sending Rhiem, clad in Anacholite armor and supremely heavy, flying ten feet uphill.

Rhiem landed upon the power seats of what was once an auditorium for visiting government officials.

Riu stayed on him, landing on Rhiem with her knee, right as he landed. Her pointed knee drove into his gut. The combined force of Riu and Rhiem smashed the aluminum seat into it's concrete base. Rhiem screamed out in pain; the sound seemed to fly out of the Greek-like mask ghostlike.

Riu pulled Rhiem up.

"I'm sorry Rhiem, that I have to do this." She drew her Mercy Blade. "But I have to show you... that we live in different worlds now." She slashed him in at the chest.

A weak gasp came from Rhiem as the feeling of being cleaved in two disabled his lungs.

He collapsed on the crushed seating, a deep slash in his armor, but flesh untouched.

"Rhiem, this is my world. It's bleak, and cruel, being powerful with no equal. I can't love anyone, and they can't love me. There can be only fear and pain."

She pulled Rhiem's mask off.

She tilted the writhing Rhiem's chin up. Pain racked his body, his mouth started to foam.

"Rhiem… you still wish to fight?"

She leaned closer.

"If you don't, Rhiem. If you don't want anymore pain, just say: "I never knew you, Riu.'"

She caressed his chin, wet with spit and sweat and blood. Inciting him to speak.

"And it'll all be over. No more pain."

"Wh-…wh-."

"Hm?"

"Who…" Rhiem drew a greedy breath "Who do you think I am?"

He managed to open his eyes, and stared into Riu. Their eyes locked. And she saw everything, everything in Rhiem's heart and soul.

She recoiled for a second, as if she was stung. Through willpower, she relaxed.

But inside, Riu's mind was racing.

Somehow-!…through all of this-!

It can't be... you still care about me?

A terrible sound woke KJ. He tried to stand up, but remembered the two bullet holes in his thigh the hard way.

*bleep*, thought KJ, his leg slipped uselessly against the slick concrete, as his. Footsteps were sounding down the hall. He had already seen Rhiem run the opposite way, so it wasn't him. Any other ally he had was lying in a heap, unconscious and bound. The only one awake was a truck driver with both ankles broken.

If it was a Guild Proper, everyone was dead. And it had to be a Guild Proper.

KJ glanced at the pistol he had liberated from one of the Guild Knights he killed. The gun had exactly two shots, and he didn't have the ability to find more.

*bleep*.

The footsteps grew louder.

He raised the pistol as best he could, while the Truck Driver laughed weakly.

"Kid, what're planning to do with that pea-shooter? Miss them to death?"

KJ smiled grimly.

"I'll do what I can. Rest is up to God"

The Truck Driver wiped the blood from his forehead with his good wrist, chuckling.

"With all the crap we've been through, if God still wants us to live, I'll stop drinking, stop smoking and marry my girlfriend."

"...It's all we can do."

The footsteps were right at the corner, they stopped, briefly.

"Pray yet, old man?"

"Shit…" breathed the Truck Driver. A sudden bout of giggles, from hysteria not humor, struck him. "heh, heh, oh God.. It's it, this is it."

KJ cocked the pistol.

She drew her blade.

One motion, too swift for the naked eye to see, and she cut Rhiem through the neck with the Mercy Blade.

"Even if this won't kill you, your mind'll think it's dead. So you'll stay that way, for a while."

Rhiem fell, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, feeling nothing...

He fell bodily onto the ground, stock-still.

"Rhiem…."

She knelt down by his side.

"I'm sorry. Goodbye."

KAM!

"Eek!" Jade whirled away as a bullet whizzed five feet past her head, and killed the concrete wall behind her. She poked her head around the corner.

"Please.. please don't... shoot..."

Her silver hair pooled around her shoulders as she clutched the corner of the wall, ready to jump back in an instant.

KJ lowered the gun, transfixed. The truck driver was at a loss for words. It wasn't that the girl was extraordinarily pretty, but that she was so innocent. This innocence radiated out of her like a flood, and overwhelmed proper judgment and reason. No malice could come from such a pure being.

"I... I'm sorry for what my brothers were doing to your friends. I..." She started shaking her head, like she was trying to forget a bad dream. "I hate it, myself."

She glanced down at KJ's bad leg.

"Ah! You're hurt."

KJ shook his head, and managed a small Agh! of pain as she grabbed his leg, but relaxed immediately.

"Stay still." She passed her left hand over the bullet holes, as she did, her hand started glowing, and then the wounds stitched themselves as if by magic.

"I'm sorry, the bullets will stay inside, but you'll stop bleeding.

She then hurried over to the stunned truck driver, and repeated the action on his broken ankles.

A small nod was all the truck driver could manage when asked "Are you alright?", after which Jade turned to KJ.

"I'm so sorry for what happened here...I don't want anymore people to be hurt..."

She glanced at the charred corpses of the Guild Proper that KJ killed.

At the sight of KJ's worried face, she shook her head.

"It's alright, these were bad people..."

She tilted KJ's face to her face her.

"But please... stay alive. It'd be best... if we all could be that way..."

He nodded, and she swiftly got up, and hurried to the hallway. For a second, she hesitated, and turned to KJ and the Truck Driver.

"I...I'm Jade."

Jade left, as swiftly as she came.

Dumbstruck, the Truck Driver turned to KJ.

"the Hell?"

"Ah, just be grateful. You can keep your promise."

"?"

"To God. I heard something about no drinking, smoking, and some marriage."

The Truck Driver leaned his head back, laughing silently. He covered his eyes with a moan.

"Ah..." He shook his head "Shit. Kill me now, kid, I don't wanna live no more!"

"Heh, hahah!"

Yeta made her rounds. On her first trip, she gathered all remaining Guild Proper, and sent them working, looking for her siblings, by her proof as an Archeria elite, or by threat of death. On her second trip, she collected her dear sister and her eldest brother, the former was wandering along the halls of the central complex, looking for people to heal and to care for. She found her brother lying in a heap in an abandoned room, he was dropped with care, but also with haste. She lifted the man up, and carried him over to her last destination, Cyrus.

Cyrus had not gone far, given his current health status as a sliver from death. The boy had covered only ten feet towards Rhiem in a half hour. In his left hand, shining with glints of metal from the body of the poor boy he had conquered, a knife, meant for the throat of Rhiem.

If only he had five more hours, he could have done something, thought Yeta dryly ...pity.

She kicked Cyrus about the temple, and knocked her second brother out in a flash.

A small hand motion, and Ravenna, her silver Wrath LOS, was by her side. She reached into Ravenna and retrieved a small crystal.

Turning to Jade, Yeta managed a small smile.

"Jade, we're going home, together."

Her hand crushed the crystal into a powder in an instant, and the pieces began to eat away at the four, leaving only empty air, until there almost nothing left.

Yeta's eyes were the last to go. She had a clear view of the motionless, defeated Rhiem. His pitiful, crushed form called on infinite sadness.

"I hope to never see you again, Rhiem." The pieces of the crystal snatched away at her vision.

"Because the next time I do... I will have to kill you."

Then she was swept away.

Reinforcements from Ootya expected to come just in the nick of time, assisting their allies the PFA in Dasiokas against Guild Proper. Inside, they come to a graveyard of a battlefield. Unconcious and dead bodies lay everywhere. Anyone alive, and on their side was taken in to be treated. Anyone that was an enemy and alive... well, were put out of their misery quickly.

Chief Sakami stands over the motionless form of Rhiem as he is lifted onto a stretcher. She knows he will be fine; what bothers her is not the health of Rhiem, but who he is without.

What happened here, Rhiem would never leave Riu along, she thought, and where... where is Riu?"

Tired, and world-weary, Chief Sakami returns to her tent, and for one of the few times in her life, she is a scared little girl once more.

* * *

Guild Proper HQ - siege lines.

The field commander of the operation, General Howe, stood almost mournfully over the fortress-like HQ of the rogue guild, Guild Proper. As an agent of Rubina, it was his duty to put down any sign of insurgency. Yet, he felt terrible not because of the fact that he will be destroying fellow human life, but the method that he would employ to do it. He had the HQ surrounded, setting up easy contains all around the fort. The structure had a moat of jagged rocks, but that moat was what made this form of long-range contain possible.

General Howe consulted the radio again, his tone almost pleading.

"Please! Yield! We will annihilate your men and the entire fort utterly, we have a terrible weapon, and I don't want to- "

A swear, and then the angry slam of a receiver shut Howe down.

General Howe hung his head.

He turned to the team of scientists behind him. With a visible effort, he nodded his head.

"Go ahead. Get it over with."

The lead scientist nodded, and then immediately got to work double-checking the warhead. One of the scientists snickered to his friend,

"This should make some fireworks." They both laughed, goofily, in a sickening, gut-clenching way. This pissed Howe off. He swept up to them, and dragged them by the collars.

"Shut. Up." His scratchy beard clawed at their soft, pale faces.

He dumped the white-coats onto the ground, snarling. Stunned, the scientists fled from him.

The furious General Howe stormed from the command tent.

"Hey!" He yelled to an unfortunate ensign. "Where's your eye-shields?"

The poor man muttered about forgetting it in tent.

"Idiot! They're going to fire it now!"

The man said something, inaudible.

"What?"

"Well, sir. While there's all this huff about this new weapon, we're three miles from the fort, eye-shields just seem..."

"Too much?"

"...yeah."

Several men around him nodded in agreement, and took their eye-shields off as well.

General Howe said nothing. He reached onto his belt, and yanked all four pins off his flash bangs.

KAAAAM!

Immediately, everyone was blinded, stumbling, confused. Except for the General, who had his eye-shields on.

Aggh!

Ugh! My eyes!

I can see ONLY WHITE!

"Go get your eye-shields," he said to the blind ensign. The man nodded, or nodded the best he could, and stumbled off to his tent.

His radio crackled. It was the lead scientist.

"General, we are all set to go. Awaiting your mark."

"Just one second, Doc. I want to try once more at diplomacy."

The voice behind the radio was callous. "Suit yourself."

General Howe radioed Guild Proper again.

Second-Captain Kigan, the third in-command to Htu, answered the call. Kigan was sitting on a bench, outside in the center court-yard, able to see the blue sky.

"What? You again?"

"Please...for the love of God."

"Look, General, if you want to spare us so much, then withdraw your troops. It's as simple as that, but don't insult us with your 'weapon of doom' speech."

"...Captain Kigan, you and your men are guinea pigs."

A couple Guild Knights and Shadows were nearby the radio as Howe said this, and snickered.

"Oh?" Said Kigan. "We're guinea pigs? And you Rubine slaves are what? Sheep? Dogs? Better we be guinea pigs than to be chained to the evils of your command."

"Please, Kigan. For the love of God. This missile... it will wipe you all out. There is no defense for it, no honor, no glorious death in battle, just eradication."

"You know what I say to your missile?"

"..."

"Bring it on."

He threw the radio down, and his men started cheering.

"Alright, alright," Kigan said, "Since the General was so kind as to let us know that a missile's coming, we should get into the bunker."

General Howe changed his channel, and raised the radio to his lips.

"Come on, you guys." Kigan pointed to the sky "A big, bad missile's coming." The men laughed, and jeered.

"Do it," He breathed.

From the tent, an explosion of exhaust tore the structure apart. A missile, relatively small and fat, shot out into the heavens.

"Hey!" laughed Kigan, and his men turned. "There it is!"

The missile arced into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

Kigan then revealed the reason for his confidence. He pressed a button, and immediately, dozens of RemoPDD shot out from their nest. These point-defense drones were designed to shoot down incoming missiles with lasers; shaped like snakes and able to fly like bats, no projectile would make it within 30 ft of the fort.

Just as the missile started coming down, the clouds parted, and a beam of light heralded the projectile.

Kigan smiled. Three dozen RemoPDDs flooded the skies, if a hundred rocket pods wouldn't make it through this missile defense shield, how could that tiny missile up above?

The missile was 2000ft from the ground.

Kigan licked his lips.

1000ft.

He glanced at his PDDs, confidence flooding back.

500ft-

He expected a lightshow of lasers and screeching, and the broken pieces of their weapon to fall to the ground. But no... it seemed to explode early. The missile exploded in midair, and seemed to contain itself in a ball of light. This ball of light was of all colors, sometimes pink, blue, furious red, until the sphere expanded at an alarming rate.

The RemoPDDs were annihilated. They fell, first shutting down, and then disintegrating in the sphere of light. The sphere reached the ground, and the ground, impossibly, was chewed up and dissolved.

Some of the Guild Proper tried to flee into the Bunker. Some stood transfixed by the awesome sight. Kigan hung there, radio in his limp hand, and eyes hypnotized by the sphere.

The sphere seemed to stop for a second, and hang there.

Then it exploded outwards. Everything was light.

Kigan brought his arms up, but to his surprise, his arms broke away and turned to dust. His clothes caught fire, his hair burned away, and his everything melted with everything else. There was a brilliant light, and a brilliant blackness, then he was no more.

The Fort was completely leveled. The bunker was completely destroyed. The only thing that remained of the Guild Proper HQ was a huge, black, mile-long smoking crater.

General Howe removed his eye-shields. They weren't enough. He couldn't see, could barely think, and could only fall down to the ground.

His radio crackled.

"General, was the test successful?" It was the Lead Scientist.

"Nuclear test successful."

"Are all enemies neutralized?"

General Howe glanced at the smoking crater.

"Without a doubt. Proceed with your testing, or whatever."

"Thank you, General."

The General saw a file of scientists, all wearing heavy lead suits, scurrying down to collect their data and find their results.

What is war coming to, he thought. I'm not sure I want to be a part of it.

_Nuclear weapons... , what a power!_

_What a terrible power._


	23. Chapter 24

39

_"Milady..."_

_She was gently roused by some obscure captain; she had been dozing off in the plush seat of the carriage that was freighting them off to some obscure castle in the west._

_"We are nearly there, miss. Please take the time to prepare yourself."_

No... These memories... aren't mine...

_"Yes, you're right of course, Captain."_

_The man was covered in a beautifully engraved plate armor, which shielded his chest and shoulders. His face and skull was clasped in a solid silver helmet that shaded his eyes, but even then, a bushy beard poked out from under the face-guard. At his hip was a rapier, the latest in military technology today._

_A sword... She looked down at a similar sword on her lap._

_Azumaria. It was a simple thing, hardly recognizable from any of the mass-produced blades pumped out by the various empires and kingdoms that dotted the landscapes on the continent. So many warring factions, yet none of them have yet ravaged the natural beauty of this land... yet._

_And she was supposed to meet the leader of the greatest, the most respected of them all. El Papa. The Pope. The most powerful man for as far as the sun can see._

_All because she was "chosen" by this blade of metal. Some old prophesy that foretold the arrival of a savior will mark a new era of faith. Nothing that she knew about._

_On her arrival in Roma, which was funded by the meager savings of the Abbey in Tyre, she was met first with confusion, skepticism, awe, joy, and then near-worship. She enjoyed none of them. Priests knelt, nuns cried, bishops, some of them the spiritual leaders for entire countries, bowed low and begged her forgiveness. Common people looked away, perhaps for fear of being burned up by the force of her gaze, and only dared to look at the air which she previously touched._

_God... she hated it all._

_But now, she was to meet one who was almost on equal standing with her in terms of reverence. El papa. _

_Would he, too, bow low and weep to the ground? That would doom her to a lifetime of worship as a deity upon this earth..._

_God, she prayed not._

_The carriage slowed, and then stopped. They were at the moat of this obscure castle. It loomed, foreboding, over them all. At it's gate, a huge tent of the finest purple was set, providing a welcome relief from the summer sun's oppression. Inside it, a long table of mahogany was set upon a beautiful rug that was shielding the precious legs of the table and the shoes of the various officials from the threat of dirt._

_Riu took a glance at what the rug was made of. Pure Rajang fur. Of only the softest part, the groin. It must have taken at least the lives of a hundred Rajangs to make up the fabric of the rug._

_ Or, there are a hundred Rajangs scurrying about with their groin fur missing._

_The thought made her giggle, for a second, until she somberly realized that it was certainly not the case._

_She stepped daintily onto the rug, in her expensive clothes that she was profoundly uncomfortable in. The Church thought it appropriate to clothe her in a weird mix of the conservative and the latest fashions. It shone a brilliant white, but had the remnants of the deviousness of the fashionable youth's imagination._

_Who knew, she thought, that one could expose the shoulders, but not the forearms to the air? The thought kept her preoccupied, but still walking, until she almost collided with the lavishly set table. The finest wines, the sweetest meats, all set on the table for her to enjoy, and her only, apparently. All of the various officials and religious leaders at the table were avoiding the array of food set before them as if it was poisoned._

_Maybe it was, she thought. And once it touched her tongue, it would kill her, and she'd be able to go to heaven with Father Patronus. She picked a piece of honeyed pork from a platter, and popped it in her mouth._

_"Oh..." The flavor was enough to make her sigh. It was more delicious than anything she every tasted._

_One person coughed. Riu looked up, and the man quickly dropped his gaze in fear. Everyone seemed troubled, but too frail of heart to say anything._

_Almost everyone. A man, with perhaps the stiffest, most uncomfortable look Riu had ever seen on face, leaned forwards on the most ornate, most decorated chair in the tent. The chair was almost a throne; sitting on it would make any coward look like a king. Next to him, sat an immensely old man, who was sleeping on a hard wooden chair._

_The stiff man spoke with a mix of clarity, pride, and a hint of condescension:_

_"Surely, milady has not forgotten to say our graces before we eat?" A couple of the officials shifted uncomfortably at these critical words._

_Riu gulped down the sweet meat immediately._

_"I... I'm sorry" She bowed her head. When she raised it, she addressed the man. "Are... are you El Papa?"_

_The stiff man grew even stiffer at this, and shook his head._

_"No- His Holiness... is to my right."_

_She turned to look at the napping old man. He was the Pope?_

_"But..." said Riu, confused, "Your chair..."_

_The man actually grit his teeth._

_"His Holiness requested I take the Papal Throne for this particular meeting. I am not worthy- but he insisted, and then replaced my area. I am the commander to the Pope's personal guard, as well as his servant. I am Domas Se, at your service."_

_Ah, thought Riu. That was why he looked so uncomfortable. If there was one thing she had learned about the silly customs of the countless military officers and religious leaders was that they hated comfort. Sitting in that chair must have been a humbling experience for Mr. Se._

_The man, Domas Se, got up quickly, and bent down to speak to the sleeping pope._

_"Your Holiness, the child is here."_

_"...zz..."_

_"Your Holiness."_

_"..."_

_"Father? Are you alright?"_

_"Boo!"_

_"...Father, the girl is here. There is no time for jokes."_

_"You didn't think I was dead? I didn't get you?" Said the pope, smiling. The man was shriveled, and tiny compared the hulk of a man that Domas Se was, and in his flowing robes, he looked even tinier. His eyes disappeared in wrinkled when he smiled, and when he wasn't, they shone full of life._

_"Your Holiness, the girl is here." Domas seemed to be used to, but not totally tolerant, of his Superior's behavior._

_"Ah!" The Pope turned, "It is good to meet you, my daughter!"_

_He was talking to a goblet full of ambrosian wine._

_Riu giggled at this, to the confused horror of everyone except for the pope. The old man turned to the sound, and spoke softer this time._

_"I am sorry, dear. I am nearly blind these days." He smiled at Riu "I heard you might have accidentally skipped Grace. Are you hungry?"_

_She nodded; she had a meager breakfast this morning._

_"Well, let's call Grace, then!" The pope folded, his head, and Riu mimicked him. Before anyone could protest, he shot out:_

_"Good food,_

_good meat,_

_thanks God!_

_Let's eat!"_

_"Amen!" said Riu, and the two started attacking the same roast pheasant._

_"Wait!" said Domas, "Your Holiness! It is not proper!"_

_"Ah..." muttered the Pope, mouth full of bird. "mmghm-mm."_

_"Your Holiness!" Domas Se was almost shouting. "Grace is our sacred moment to give thanks and praise, the Holy Book says-"_

_"My Son," replied the Pope, "Are you lecturing a pope on the Bible?"_

_"..." The man seemed to realise how foolish the situation was. "Your Holiness! I beg your-"_

_"No, no, it's fine." the Pope turned to Domas. "I don't make out Grace to be special because in reality we all should give thanks and praise at all times. Focus less on making special things special, and making more things meaningful."_

_"I...I'm sorry, Your Holiness." Domas seemed to recover. "But, we still have business."_

_He turned to Riu. "What we need is to figure how to deal with you."_

_This annoyed her. He spoke to her like she was a problem. "Would the good lady please give us a demonstration?"_

_He motioned for a guard. The guard came forwards, carrying a heavy chest. The guard set the chest down, and unlatched it. Inside was not anything, but an enormous bar of rocks, all set in stripes that ran down the length of the chest._

_As the bars went deeper, the rocks grew harder. The first layer was pure iron, and then steel, malachite, dragonite, carbalite, novastone... many more strains and crystals that she could not name._

_The very top was full of scratches and the occasional deep carve that seemed like canyons upon the iron surface. Few managed to dig deep enough to the malachite. Only one made it to the carbalite, and it looked like something similar to a chainsaw was applied there._

_"Surely you can understand the method of this? We wish to gauge the true strength of the holy blade, Azumaria."_

_Riu held the sheathed sword up to her face. The sheath was almost gaudily decorated, being made after she had arrived to Roma, which stood in stark contrast to the simple hilt and handle that stuck out the sheath's mouth._

_"How many of these... chests do you have?" She was breathing hard, and suddenly, the sun was unbearbly hot. The folds of clothes she had on her, that pasted on her back like wet mud did not help._

_Domas Se looked confused._

_"...only one."_

_She drew Azumaria. The wind began to howl, clustering about the edge._

_She swung upwards, in a upper-cut slash. The flying edge sliced through the chest, iron, dragonite, carbalite, novastone, and the divinely hard rocks at the bottom. The chest fell in two, exposing every last material within it's depths. The edge continued through the chest, through the tent, and out the back. As the two halves of the tent fell apart, all bore witness to the sight of a flying, shimmering edge slicing through a full height, castle. The edge seemed to halt for a second, and then passed through fifteen feet of solid rock, before coming to a halt, almost arbitrarily, at the center of the courtyard within._

_Several officials drew the cross over their hearts. Some sat dumbly, at the crumbling, old castle as the entire west wing sank into it's moat below. Most prayed to God._

_Domas Se rounded on Riu._

_"You! Why did you-?"_

_She held Azumaria's point to his chest. Domas Se stopped cold, carefully watching the sword._

_"This... is the power of Azumaria. You wanted a demonstration, Mr. Se. You have your demonstration, and two new chests to test your weapons of war upon until you are done."_

_"Ho, ho, ho." The pope looked out at the destroyed castle. "Where did this nice breeze come from?"_

_"Your Holiness!" yelled Domas "This vagrant has destroyed a valuable military resource! And you are muttering about the wind!"_

_The pope ignored him._

_"My Daughter, why are you here?"_

_This stumped her. She had drifted, like a doll once she arrived in Roma, following the lead of one or the other._

_She glanced down, and pulled out Father Patronus' hunter's emblem. The gold symbol shone brightly in the mid-afternoon sun._

_The pope took the coin into his hands, and rubbed them all over._

_"Ah... a hunter." He opened his eyes. "A guardian of the people. A fine choice."_

_"Your Holiness!" interrupted Domas, again. He was starting to get annoying, thought Riu. "This girl must be used to further the Church's glory! We must integrate her into the military at once! The sooner we do, the longer benefit we receive out of her life!"_

_For once, the pope looked angry._

_"My Son, you are mistaken."_

_"But-"_

_"We further God's glory, and not the Church's. She is a emissary, a messenger that will herald the eventual return of our great savior. We will let her glorify God in the way she knows how."_

_He turned to Riu._

_"And how do you believe you can best glorify God in your life?"_

_Riu looked down, and held out Father Patronus' hunter coin. The pope, no longer a religious leader, but a father in spirit, took the coin and her hands into his own._

_"Then I instate you as the newest to the Vaticano's monster hunters" He smiled at her. "My holy maiden... and my Daughter... go with God."_

_"Thank you... Papa."_

Yeta woke with a start.

She put her hand to her face.

"Damn it..." She rubbed her forehead. "I'm still getting her dreams..."

_And why..._ she thought, as she gazed out at the new moon... _Am I still hearing my name as, Riu?_


	24. Chapter 25

40

"Where! Is he!"

CRASH!

"Miss Woles, please, calm down!"

"Shut UP! Tell me where he is already!"

"Miss Woles! Your wounds!"

Tiana flipped over yet another cot, hair wild, bandaged all over her chest, breathing hard, with murder in her eyes.

"Tell me! Where. Is. Rhiem!"

At the end of the infirmary, a voice came out of a curtained-off corner. An even... calm... voice.

"Tiana, I'm here."

Rhiem opened the curtain from his bed, he too was bandaged all over his body, yet he had an extra IV drip with a mix of sedative to counteract the phantom pain he was in. He looked up from his magazine long enough to see a girlish fist whiz towards his face.

KRAK!

Tiana drew her fist back for another punch to the face, bruises already forming on her knuckles.

Rhiem slowly realigned his neck, and replaced the bandage back over his cheekbone. Tiana had hit exactly where-

He stopped himself there.

-where Wild Rose struck him.

Without looking at Tiana, Rhiem pulled up a chair. "So what's wrong, Tiana?"

Tiana looked at him like he was crazy.

"Oh my God, I'm going to punch you again."

She did, right into his gut. One of the nurses gasped in horror; a heavy bandage wrapped around where Tiana had struck.

Rhiem didn't even flinch.

Tiana, out of steam, slumped down.

"Rhiem..." She was close to tears. "Where is Riu?"

Rhiem looked straight into Tiana's watering eyes.

"She's safe now. Don't worry about her."

"How..." Tiana shook her head in despair. "How could I not worry about her? She in the pit of Archeria..."

"Wild Rose is safer than all of us. She's an Archerian Elite, she'll be cared for. Don't worry."

"But how...?" Tiana really cried then, tears rolled down her cheeks. "How could I not worry about her? She's my friend."

"That's fine. If you're her friend, you should feel that. But for her, we have to let her go."

He flipped a page. "Otherwise, we're just being selfish."

Tiana grabbed a glass water jug off Rhiem's food tray, and threw it against the wall.

The glass shattered in a explosion of shards and blades.

"THEN I'M SELFISH!"

Tiana hung her head.

"For me... Rhiem. Can't you go and rescue her for me?"

Rhiem looked at Tiana.

"No."

Tiana looked right back.

"I see..."

She left, pushing aside a throng of nurses to get to the door. As she slammed the door, a single tear fell to the cold, concrete floor of the infirmary.

Rhiem went back to reading his magazine.

Tiana looked up. She was leaning against the wall outside of Rhiem's ward. The door opened, and then the bandaged form of KJ walked out, head shaking. He had spent the better part of the hour trying to beat the spirit back into Rhiem. His arguments consisted mostly of, "Get up off your ass, mofo" Not the best motivator.

"I can't get to him."

Tiana sighed, and then sunk to the ground.

"God...What's wrong with him?"

KJ hesitated, for a second, before sitting down next to her.

"You know... he reminds me of Kaejun."

Tiana glanced up.

"Your sister?"

"Mm. Before, Kaejun was all stressed, but after she... well, snapped, she became better. More life."

KJ pulled a chewstick from his pocket.

"But this is reversed. I haven't known Rhiem for long, but the guy I knew was crazy enough to charge down a monorail train to get to you and that girl. Now he's totally gone. Kaejun was gone, but now she's got some lifer."

"...he only did that for Riu."

"Not just that girl. You, too. He really does care for you, you know."

"...Goddamn idiot."

Kaejun came in then, holding a tray of, to her own chagrin, artificial crab meat.

"Kaejun!" KJ scolded. "What are you doing?"

"Going to talk to Mr. Rhiem." She opened the door, and closed it on her brother's protests.

Rhiem was still reading the magazine inside.

Kaejun walked in, goose-stepped, and set the tray of..."food" over Rhiem's own breakfast of simple gruel and bits.

Rhiem glanced up, and then down again.

Undeterred, Kaejun took a seat in front of Rhiem's bed.

"Yeah, I hate artificial crab meat, too."

He said nothing.

"So...Mr. Rhiem. Why are you so sad?"

"I'm not sad."

"But you're not happy."

"That doesn't mean I'm sad."

"But..." Kaejun said, "You were happy when you were sleeping."

'What are you talking about?"

"Back when you were sleeping at the subways. When Brother knocked you out. You were talking about something in your sleeping, and you had a small smile on your face. Brother couldn't see it, and told me I should stop eating expired lobster tails, but you really were, honest!"

"..."

"It's a girl, right?"

"...no."

"Is she pretty?"

"I already told you, it's not-"

"Do you love her?"

Kaejun sat back in her seat, trying to imitate an old man giving advice.

"I heard you arguing with my Brother, whippersnapper! If you love her, you should go and get her!"

Rhiem sighed, and then looked at Kaejun.

"I'm not going to put her in more danger. She's done being saved by me."

"You saved her a lot?"

"And I don't have to anymore. She's safe now."

"Well..."

"Well what?"

Yeta looked out at the zooming mountains from her ten-foot window space. She sat back in her reclined seat, the memory foam sucking her in it's embrace. She took a deep drink from an artfully crafted pure crystal flume. The alcohol didn't do anything but make her face red, to her annoyance.

-then-

"Agh!" She flinched. The alcohol suddenly tripled it's content, it seemed.

"No, no, no! Not again...!"

_Riu checked her reflection in the mirror. She was beautiful...it seemed. But it wasn't herself. She wiped off the makeup, and then looked up._

_Her manservant was staring at her in the mirror. Hurriedly, he looked away, and Riu turned away in embarrassment._

_His face turned away, he held out a quivering hand, with a heavy towel on the end._

_"Mi-Milady, your towel. And the Guildmaster of the Vaticano district will be here shortly."_

_"O...Of course, Rodrigo. Thank you."_

_Rodrigo, face reddening, and desperately trying to conceal what he would later try to pass off as puberty at it's worst, nearly ran from the room._

_Riu looked sadly at the retreating manservant. She could practically hear his thoughts._

_...beautiful...but scary..._

_...far out of my league..._

_...there's always that nice flower girl in the plaza..._

_Men always thought that they have to protect their woman. And to do that, they have to be stronger than their woman, otherwise, what would be the point of protecting them in the first place?_

_But...she thought...If there was a man who could realize that she, too, needed protecting, and not from blade or talon, but loneliness.._

_Then she would stay with him forever, for she was nearly a deity, and a man like that has to be one in-a million, to be audacious enough to protect a deity..._

_And brave enough to try and protect the strong._

"Well... what?" asked Rhiem. His eyes were almost downcast now, and his magazine hung limp by his side.

"Just..." Kaejun looked deep into Rhiem's eyes. "Just because she's safe, doesn't mean she still doesn't need saving."

"She still needs you."

Rhiem looked up.

Rhiem stepped out of the ward, pulling on his jacket.

"Rhiem!" Tiana was sitting on the floor, knees to her chest. KJ was next to her, playing pong on her music player.

"You...you..."

"Hey. You guys are pretty friendly."

Tiana could only mouth in confusion, when KJ stood up.

"Rhiem. You feeling better now?"

"I was always feeling just fine."

"Rhiem..." Tiana punched him, lightly, on the shoulder.

KJ punched him for real, on the other shoulder, and dragged him along.

"So, where are we going to?"

Rhiem looked out to the end of the corridor. The sun was shining through the window there. Fruits of labor that he... and Riu... did. It should have been dark and snowing at this time of year.

"Come on."

He stepped towards that light.

~End Part One


	25. Chapter 26

42

"Kid, you know that girl's sword, the one that can fire slashes of wind?"

"...Yeah. Wild Rose's AG saber."

"There used to be hundred of Azumaria copies like that. They were as common as pebbles on the ground, and about as varied. Some worked well, others would blow up in your face if you spilled coffee on it. They're all based off of Saint Maria's sword, Azumaria."

"There are no known facts of Saint Maria, or her sword. We don't even know how she died. History just falls into a black hole about her mid-life. And what we do know, is mostly hyped up BS."

The Merchant massaged the bandages over his eyes.

"For example, there's one account that claimed Saint Maria cut a castle in half with Azumaria. Obviously we have to filter out crap like that... but what we do know... Saint Maria came from the small village of Tyre, which had an abbey to it's north... and that abbey housed Azumaria. The religion at the time foretold that a prophet would come one day to claim Azumaria and awaken a new age of faith. Maria Magdala, a teen-aged girl at the time, claimed Azumaria where hundreds of self-reputed prophets and disciples failed."

"So...how'd she become a hunter, if she was a prophet?"

"From what we know, she chose to be a hunter. With Azumaria, it seems she was invincible; apparently, she killed the vast majority of her targets with a single stroke. Kid, imagine if you could shoot a Wyvoid down with just one bullet."

"I'd like that."

"Azumaria might not cut a castle in half, but if our most reliable accounts are correct, it was the most powerful weapon ever created."

"So if it's because of the sword Maria became the greatest hunter, then why would you clone her?"

"...Kid, from what I know of Saint Maria, she started developing special powers after she claimed Azumaria. You notice anything in Riu when you were with her?"

Rhiem glanced at his hands. They were both bandaged heavily, from-

"Wild Rose had this shield. Dad's Southern Eagle couldn't even punch through it."

"That's right. Saint Maria caused strange things to happen around her. Water became blessed, swords lost their edge despite years of careful sharpening, and glass would turn to diamond overnight."

"Miracles."

"If it weren't for very clear wording in their scriptures, Saint Maria probably would have become their second savior to them."

"So... how do I fight her, then?"

The Merchant looked at Rhiem in surprise.

"Kid... If that girl is Saint Maria...you can't fight her."

"..."

"I'm not joking, kid. You want to kill yourself, I got some aspirin and some booze in my pillow, we'll be done in ten minutes."

"I need to."

The Merchant muttered something to himself, shaking his head.

"Kid, I can't help you. Even if you knew more about Maria Magdala, it wouldn't help you. She's not the greatest hunter that ever lived for nothing."

"Then convince me."

"Feckin'... Fine. You know that shimmering shield?"

"Yeah."

"Most powerful defense ever. It blocked a Fatalis' fireball. You don't know what that is, but imagine a kiloton of TNT going off on that shield, and it being unscratched."

"Then-"

"Azumaria. Conservative estimates put that sword, in her hands, at the same destructive power as a bunker buster. You don't kill a heavily armored dinosaur-thing in one hit with nothing."

"Well-"

"Saint Maria had a second sword, where once she dropped it, and it sunk into solid concrete to its hilt."

"You can't win, RHIEM!"

"I have to."

"God fuckin' dammit. What are you going to do to her? Shoot her with the power of love?"

"Where are the other Cardinal Arms?"

The Merchant froze.

"..."

He ran some calculations in his head.

"Kid... goddamn. You might have a chance."

Some life seemed to spill back into him.

"You have the Southern Eagle."

Rhiem pulled the enormous magnum from his holster. The silver gun shone in the florescent light.

"You still need the Hidden Shrike, the Northern Cross, and the Grand Core." The Merchant bit his lip.

"But...the Grand Core is in the Rubina's Capital. You ever been to the Iron Plateau, kid?"

"No."

"The place is more than a fortress. It might as well be a whole-effin nother planet if you're thinkin' of attacking it. I know the Supreme Leader of Rubina has the Grand Core on her constantly."

"I could ask her."

"Hey, you could ask her. And then she'll kill you for mentioning it."

"...then what about the Hidden Shrike?"

"Lost in the last Great War. The owner is MIA."

"But not to you?"

"Not totally to me. There's one more."

"The Northern Cross."

"Yeah. I know where it is."

The two glanced over at the doorway where Doctor Halfvelt had left from.

"You getting bored here, Old Man?"

"Yeah. Open that window. I'll get my peg leg."

Rhiem unlatched the second-story window, to let in a new southern wind.

"Hey Old Man?"

"Mm?"

"Glad you're still here."

"How mushy. Jump already."

Rhiem smirked, and leapt out into the sun.


	26. Chapter 27

The two raced through the abandoned city, flitting through the urban jungle of pipes, concrete, and barriers.

"Hey," Rhiem said, vaulting over a six-foot high fence. "What does the Northern Cross do, anyways?"

"Hm," The Merchant paused for a second, before kicking down a door. "The Northern Cross is really just a knife."

"'just a knife'?"

"Physically, yeah. But what it also is, is a marker."

"A marker?"

"For an air strike."

Rhiem stopped, on the lip of an empty swimming pool.

"An air strike from what?"

The Merchant looked up to the sky.

"There's something up there... a long time ago, in the last great war, Rubina put an weapon far up in the sky." The Merchant dropped his gaze. "A perpetually floating, aerial gun platform. No one ever knows exactly where it is... and that is exactly what Rubina wanted it to be."

"But then..."

"Then the former capital of Erubinassel was razed... the controls to the aerial gun platform was lost."

The Merchant looked at Rhiem through his bandages.

"During our development, we managed to create a radio marker that was powerful enough to contact the aerial gun platform again, no matter where the thing might be. That is what the Northern Cross is."

"It's a contact to that aerial platform."

"Right. But first we had to solve the problem of the damned thing being destroyed if it was ever used. It is a strike marker, and will be at the center of the strike. So we made it indestructible. And because it's indestructible, it's reusable. "

"An indestructible reusable strike marker... disguised as a knife."

Rhiem gazed up at the sky, too.

"So where is it?"

"What, the gun platform?"

"Northern Cross."

The Merchant glanced at Rhiem.

"Under my pillow, at the Shylock."

"Under your pillow."

"Yeah."

Rhiem chuckled for a second, before during to the Merchant.

"You kept an aerial strike marker underneath your pillow every night?"

"Not the best idea, now that I think of it."

"So..."

"Hm?"

"Does this gun platform have a name?"

"..." The Merchant glanced down for a second.

"Amatsumagatsuchi. It's designer named him. The weapons genius, Kravotsky Sayama."

The gang symbols sprayed on the surronding buildings alerted them first.

The random shots in the air second.

And the red flags and partying thugs all over the Land Ship Shylock, third.

"Goddamnit..." The Merchant muttered several more oaths. Over two dozen young men were drinking, rubbing call girls, and firing rounds into the air or at spray painted targets into his ship.

Rhiem glanced onto the deck.

The deck was slick with beer, bullet casings, and passionate lovers brought together by a few thousand zeni.

"What...did those jerks do to my ship?"

Rhiem glanced at the huge, red flag fluttering at the top of the Shylock.

"They took it over."

He slowly turned to face the Merchant.

"Northern Cross."

There was one who didn't join the partying. this one sat hooded, drinking by himself on a bench off the side. The couple making out next to him didn't even notice him, but if they looked, they would see the sharp eyes, never blinking, staring into the center of the party.

One of the partiers noticed him. A hooded guy... he had never seen him before. All that comforted him was that this hooded stranger had on a red bandana, but unlike everyone else, he had his wrapped around his arm rather than his head.

The half-drunk guy waved him over.

The hooded stranger hesitated, before walking slowly towards them.

"Hey, hombre. Haven't seen you around before."

"...I'm new."

"No kidding. I've been here for five months, and I only saw your culo here today."

"Hm."

"Oi. Hombre. You lonely? Lemme introduce you to Anya, and Sofia. Say hi, ladies."

Anya, the darker one, gave the stranger a winning smile, while Sofia stayed silent, clinging to the partier's arm.

The stranger motioned to the center.

"Who's that guy? The one in the center, around all the girls?"

The Partier's eyes grew wide.

"Ay Dios mio. You are new. That's Bulldog. he's our comandante, our...our leader."

The stranger regarded the leader, Bulldog. He was dark, but he had also shaved his head, apparently recently, that exposed a pale-skinned scalp. Seemed he was actually white. The leader looked to be about in his mid-twenties, but was sporting a belly that did not happen on twenty-year olds. More like thirty, or forty. The face was scrunched up and floppy, really like a bulldog, except for the eyes, which were beady.

The crude man laughed, arms around two girls, at a joke he had just told. It took a second, but everyone started laughed with him. Bulldog whispered something in the girl to his left's ear. The girl smiled, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

The stranger turned back to the partier.

"You put up with him?"

The guy shrugged.

"Sure, he's not El Che. But he pays well."

"Hm. How'd he become comandante?"

The Partier frowned.

"Well... you're leader if you beat our first leader. Back then it was Maxio that was leader. But then Bulldog challenged him. He was just our scavenger back then. So the two went down to the docks to duel alone."

"No one knows what happened to Maxio. We just came back the next day, and Maxio was missing. Bulldog was sitting on Maxio's favorite motorcycle, smoking his cigar, and told us to go get him a beer. He was our comandante after that."

The Stranger nodded, and then took off in Bulldog's direction.

"Hey! Amigo. Where you headed?"

The stranger turned to the guy. And laughed.

"To become Comandante."

The guy was so shocked, he didn't even notice Sofia taking his watch.

Rhiem stood in the middle of Bulldog's ring of friends. Pushing his way through the throng, he called out,

"You Bulldog?"

The guy took a second to lock onto Rhiem in his crowd. In all fairness, he was drunk.

The Bulldog smiled. He spread his arms.

"Hey, amigo."

Several of his friends cringed at his fake, bad accent.

"Como esta? How can I help you?

Rheim raised his gun. At this, Bulldog squawked with alarm, and groped for his handgun.

"Give up Northern Cross. Andale, if you know what that means"

"...you're telling me... to go for a swim?"

Rhiem sighed.

"I challenge for the position for Comandante."

The Bulldog sneered.

"Now you're speaking my language, amigo"

Half the people listening to this rolled their eyes. His language was English.


	27. Chapter 28

27

Rhiem whipped off his hoodie. From under it, he reached back and put on his Anacholite mask, immediatly his face was shrouded in it s cold embrace. With his other hand, he reached inside his cloak, and drew the Southern Eagle from the belt of his pants; the silver plating shone even in the pale, gray afternoon light.

In a flash, Rhiem had the ground around Bulldog in his sights.  
"Sorry buddy," he muttered. "Just going to scare you a bit."

But Bulldog, with surprising speed, was behind a metal mast in a flash.  
_Fatty's faster than he looks,_ thought Rhiem, as he put several rounds into the mast.  
"Hey!" yelled the Merchant through the radio. Rhiem flinched as his earplug crackled to life in his ear, several decibels too high. Don't go shooting up my ship!

"Well, I don't want to kill the guy! Rhiem said, as he rammed a fresh clip into the Southern Eagle. "He's stupid, but he doesn't deserve to die."

"How do ya even know IF that guy has Northern Cross?"

"Look at the way he moves."

From high above, in an abandoned apartment building, the Merchant glanced at his receiver, confused. He then peeked into his telescope.

Bulldog was sprinting from cover to cover, managing to dodge Rhiem's shots, even if they weren't aimed at him. Yet even if he was dodging the shots, he dodged weird...had an odd shuffling movement... preferred to run to farther cover to the right, than just turn around.

"Ah," thought the Merchant. He took a closer look at Bulldog s trousers.  
"That idiot's got a knife inside his pants."

"Yep." Rhiem ducked as Bulldog shot at him with a imitation Glock. The bullets splattered harmlessly over his head. Drawing a new feed from his pocket, he slammed the .845 shells into the Southern Eagle with one deft motion.

"Rhiem ...be careful."

"Huh?"

"You re underestimating him. He's got a Cardinal Arm, and he's used it."

"...hm."

Rhiem stepped out of cover for an instant, pulling the Southern Eagle to it s sight.  
No more warning shots. This one would be aimed for his foot. Rhiem grimaced apologetically.

This ll hurt like Hell, but-

What the-?

He searched the now empty deck.

He s gone.

"Where'd he go?"

"Hehehe..."

"Bulldog! Show yourself!"

"hehehe..."  
"Hey!"

Thunk.

Rhiem glanced down at the mast he was hiding behind. On it, a beautiful, simple knife was embedded four inches into the metal. A faint, orange light was blinking off of it s light-blue handle, and suddenly, the hilt burst apart to reveal silver antennae that spun in the light, three of them, looking just like-

Like a cross.

"RHIEM!" screamed the Merchant. "GET OUT OF THERE NOW!"

He didn t need to be told twice. Rhiem ran as fast as he could from the knife in the mast. As he stumbled, he could hear whistling. This whistling grew louder, and deeper, it soon was born into a full and deep roar. It sounded as if a train was coming.

Rhiem leaped behind a coil of heavy wire. He planted his back to the coil, and then glanced to his side.

Bulldog was there sitting right by him, grinning.

Rhiem pulled up the Southern Eagle, but Bulldog shook his head.  
Wait Rhiem did.

And then roar stopped.

Silence.

The deck exploded. A shower of shells, missiles blew apart the Shylock s deck. The pitiful coil of wire did nothing to absorb the explosion. Rhiem was struck across the face, chest, groin, every limb; every inch of his body was battered by the tremendous air strike. The force sent Rhiem and Bulldog flying off the land ship, until they hit the ground, far below, hard.  
When the dust settled, Rhiem got up.  
He coughed, bringing up blood and mucus and dust.

He glanced at his side. Northern Cross was there again, blinking.  
A chain attached to it was pulled, and the knife flew back into Bulldog s hands. As he caught the blade, the gang leader then turned, walking into a back alley. He soon disappeared into the urban jungle behind him.

"Hey!" Rhiem was eyeing the terrain that Bulldog had disappeared into. It looked dark ad foreboding. "What do I do?"

The Merchant grit his teeth.

"You'll have to follow him, Rhiem." Rhiem could hear rustling in his earpiece.  
Take this. Rhiem turned to look at the apartment complex the Merchant was hidden in. From the fifth story, the Merchant tossed something. The gear flew an incredible distance straight to Rhiem.

Rhiem caught the tiny gear. His hand throbbed from the impact.  
"What is it?"

"A soul gear. Just...take it. You'll probably need it."

Rhiem nodded, and then set off into the urban jungle that Bulldog was hidden in, somewhere.

Behind him, Bulldog's gang watched. They would be waiting for the victor, no matter who it was, or how they won. Waiting for who would come out alive.

* * *

Rhiem crouched by a rusted trash can. He kept his gun low, the silver would do nothing to help him hide here, and his stance high, because hiding wouldn t do him any good if he got caught in Northern Cross air strike.

"I wish I had infrared goggles." muttered Rhiem. "Then I could flush this guy out with grenades as soon as I saw him."

"And I wish I had two legs and two arms. Life sucks, doesn t it?"

"Life won t just suck for me, if I get caught in that air strike, I won t have one."

"Boohoo. Add it to your wish list and finish that gang leader already."

Rhiem glanced at the Merchant's gift. It seemed just to be a gear, but on closer inspection, it had a rocky feel to it, and there seemed to be a gas inside of the center.  
"What is this thing you gave me, anyways?"

Far above, the Merchant pursed his lips.  
Just keep it. Don t do anything with it until I tell you. "What's with you. anyways?" Rhiem was annoyed now. "Why don t you just tell-"

Thunk. Northern Cross landed at his feet, blade in the ground.

Shit. Rhiem ran as fast as he could from the alleyway, out onto the street. As he did, the narrow walkway exploded in a storm of explosives, water, and fire.

Rhiem rolled into a bakery, swearing.  
Son of a bitch! Rhiem screamed into his earpiece.  
"TELL me what this thing IS already! I m GOING to DIE!"

The Merchant sighed.

"The slot at the bottom of Southern Eagle."

"What?"

"Put it there" The Merchant s voice grew testy. "Just do it already!"

Rhiem fitted the small, rocky gear into what he thought was a carving at the bottom of the frame.  
The gear whirred for a second, and then clicked into place.  
What now? The Merchant took a long draught from his scotch.  
Now you hunt.

Bulldog lay behind the counter of a former farming supply store. Inside, he chewed on a pack of tobacco that he found in the store below, spitting out a thread every now and then onto the wood floor.  
A shadow passed through the room.  
Bulldog pulled out his Glock.

"Hello?"

Bulldog took an uneasy glance at the door, and then sat back down. Impossible. Anyone to come up to here would have had to pass through a clearly visible pathway that he was watching over. So far, there seemed to be a low fog, which meant that Bulldog couldn't see the street clearly, but, he reasoned, it meant the other guy couldn't see either.

Bulldog glanced up. It seemed the sun was going down earlier; light was fading quick, and he was getting sleepy.

_Sleepy? Like Bedtime. Time to go to bed..._

Bulldog hit the ground; his eyes glazed and his breath heavy.

Bulldog snored softly, flat on his stomach. Wrapped around his wrist, was a chain, and that chain had on it, Northern Cross. Rhiem appeared behind him, kicking the body.  
"Gimme that!" Rhiem snatched the Northern Cross "Before you kill everyone here."

Bulldog whispered, drool pooling on the floor around his face.  
"I wouldn t do that if I were you."

"Oh yeah?" Rhiem crouched down in front of him. He brought his gun to Bulldog s face.

"Lights out."

The gun let out another jet of sleeping gas, and Bulldog drifted off into unconsciousness.  
With a sigh of relief, Rhiem pulled off his mask.

He thumbed the new feel of his gun. It had taken on a rocky feel, and was heavy, but surprisingly well-balanced.

Old Man! You didn t tell me I could do this with Southern Eagle and Soul Gears! Rhiem turned the gun over to look at the Soul Gear embedded at the bottom of the hilt. The Gear was spinning, the light shining softer and softer with each spin.

Rhiem! The Merchant was shouting at his radio now, Take that damned thing out of your gun. NOW! Shit, what s with you- FOOM

Rhiem felt the air brush his neck.

FOOM

He knew this sound.

FOOM

It was the wing-beat of a wyvoid.

He turned to face the gun platform of Northern Cross. Through the window of the apartment he was in, shone the massive eye of the legendary gun platform that Northern Cross was built for.

Amatsumagatsuchi.

Rhiem saw what seemed to be a flying whale. It was massive, over 300 feet long, shaped like a killer whale, and covered in sheets and sheets of solar panels. It was like a whale in every respect, except that it was floating in midair. No frantic flapping of the wings, no whir of high-power jet turbines. Except for the soft wind that flowed constantly around it like the Dao Ku-Long, it was silent.

Rhiem, fighting against his desire to scream and hide, looked away from the window.  
He took a breath.  
"Old Man!" Rhiem yelled, "You didn t tell me the gun platform was a God-damned wyvoid!"

"I didn t know! No one s seen the damn thing since the last war! I knew Kravotsky fitted it for independent self-defense, but I didn t know he designed it as a effin dragon!"

Amatsumagatsuchi roared, gliding over to where Rhiem was. Except because of how big it was, what was a slow glide was a thunderous, terrifying airborne charge to Rhiem.  
Rhiem screamed as he ran from the colossal machine, diving and laying flat against the ground, as the mech tore through the apartment building like a knife through hot butter. The floor Rhiem and Bulldog were on started to shift, having lost all of it s frontal support, started to dump it s occupants out onto the street in front.

Rhiem landed bodily on the ground, groaning. He rolled several times over to the side, as the Amatsu tried another pass on him.

He rolled behind a concrete pillar, grasping at the cover it gave like it was a life itself.

"Shit!"

"Old Man! how do I kill it?"

"Kill it? You have to neutralize it without damaging it beyond repair!"

"WHAT?" screamed Rhiem as the Amatsu flew over his head again, the wind tearing at his face. "You want me to take this thing down WITHOUT damaging it?"

"It has a limited self-repair system, but- "

"It's three football fields long!" Rhiem screamed, "I could build a house on it!"

"Just hold on! I'm calling in help!"

"Help? What help-"

He stopped.  
In a perfect circle, all around him, wind was picking up. The wind carried dust and rock and scrap higher and higher, still running in a circle, until Rhiem was trapped in a tower of wind and debris.

_No._ He breathed. _A tornado?_ He looked straight up.

The Amatsu was at the peak of the tower, riding the winds it had created like a fish. But it kept it s gaze fized on Rhiem. And it s 20mm cannons.  
As the first shot carved up a hole in the ground next to Rhiem that could have hidden a car, he gave up. There was nothing he could do.  
"Rhie...ust...h..ld...help is..."He took the radio off. He couldn t hear the Merchant anyhow. The roar was growing louder, to his right. And familiar, too.  
It annoyed him. Why did the roar annoy him?

He glanced to his side. Just as the second shot was fired, a motorcycle, with two riders, burst through the tornado. One of them grabbed Rhiem, and lifted him onto the bike, just as the ground below them erupted in flame.

And in a flash, they were out of the tornado, and back onto the street. The motorcycle skidded, sliding fifty feet, before the driver gunned the motorcycle down a back alley. The Amatsu, deprived of it s target, ceased the tornado, and started circling the city.

Rhiem gripped his savior, coughing. He knew this bike. He looked up at the guy who grabbed him.  
"Brendan?"

"Nah!" The rider lifted his goggles. Beneath them, he saw the dark, slim, foreign eyes he knew so well. "It's KJ. This is Bren s bike, he rides it."

The driver looked over his shoulder.  
"Heya, Frenchie. Not too busy getting your ass handed to you, huh?"

"Brendan..." Rhiem muttered. "Pay attention to the road before you make martyrs out of all of us."

"Huh?" Brendan glanced at the light pole that had, he would later say, swerved in front of him. "Oh shit." He threw the bike sideways, avoiding disaster, but still clipping the light pole and taking it down.

Brendan maneuvered into a parking garage, a small one, as only government officials ever had the right to own cars.

He took off his helmet, and let his brown hair fall out.  
"So Frenchie. How's it going? Been like, what-a year?"

"Heya Brendan." Rhiem, still winded from the ride, shrugged at Brendan s neck.  
"What's with the scarf?" It was yellow, with a floral pattern.  
"What-this?" Brenden fingered the silk scarf uncomfortably. "It's nothing. I like it."

"Why?"

"Why? Why? F- you, that's why."

"Mom? Dad?" called KJ, "Stop fighting so you can help me kill this giant dragon that's going to eat our balls."

A shell ripped through the parking garage, punching through every last floor of the complex.  
"Shit. It found us. So what s the plan, Frenchie? Surrender?"

Rhiem glanced at his gun. The rocky texture had disappeared, and the gear inside had faded. He fished for something in his pocket.  
Smiling, he pulled it from his pocket.  
"Fight"


	28. Chapter 29

3 years ago, Apal cliffs.

It had been hours.

Rhiem had stood in front of the machine that killed Noa for almost four hours straight.  
Snow was falling. It was falling in heavier clumps now; snowflakes the size of coins drifted from the winds that the Dao Ku-Long stirred up and blanketed everything with their white beauty. It was an instrument of death, but for this one second... this one moment... it was something beautiful.

To Riu, it looked like Rhiem was surrounded by swirling white flowers.

Riu shivered for a second and then quickly made her way to his side.  
"Rhiem." Riu held out a steaming cup of cocoa. "Drink." She wasn't used to the cold; every word brought her raw lips to the stinging cold air.  
Rhiem nodded, and took the cup.  
The first sip he took, he spat out, laughing.  
"God! That's awful! What did you make it out of, dirt?"  
Riu shivered, gripping her jacket tighter.  
"I couldn't find any brown crayons.  
"You're joking. Tell me you're joking."  
She smiled in response.

Rhiem grinned, and took another sip, grimacing.

They stood there for another minute.  
"Rhiem..." Riu looked up at the Krav IOS. "What are you doing here?"  
He sighed, and glanced at Riu.  
"...Talking."  
Riu's eyes drifted down, from the spiky, crown-shaped skull of the Krav IOS, to the exposed belly of the machine, where the "integrated" operator of the machine still hung. His fused arms and fused torso left him hanging as if he were crucified to the metal beast.  
"To him? Talking to him?"

Rhiem sighed.  
"Riu, I hated this guy, you know? I hated him for taking my friend, taking Noa, who I knew only for a couple days. Some part of me still hates him. But... in death..."

Rhiem bravely walked up to the corpse of the Krav IOS operator. Stood face-to face with the hideous mask that the Archerians fused onto this poor soul.

"He's just another human. He was a soldier, just like me. In his home, his city, or whatever Archerians live in, he's now a hero."  
Rhiem pulled out a faded picture from his pocket.  
"Riu, you remember O'Connell?"  
She nodded vigorously. Who wouldn't remember him?  
"This was him."  
Rhiem offered the picture to Riu. This picture of the young, smiling O'Connell. The O'Connell with a bright future.  
"He held the city of Vurms for 32 months with just six of his buddies, against an entire Archerian mechanized division. After Vurms fell, it took another 17 weeks for the Archerians to capture the band of guerrillas he formed to resist them.  
"You see Riu, my goal at first was to protect the ones close to me, at any cost." He hesitated. "Especially you."  
"But these guys, O'Connell, the Krav IOS guy, Noa, they all had people close to them, too." He stared back up at the blackened metal heap that was the Krav.  
"I can't be so selfish, to just save those close to ME."  
"Rhiem, of all people..."

Riu closed her eyes, remembering... "the medical bay at the Firebase. You gave me your jacket for me. Now it's the most important thing I have."  
She reached up, and slapped him lightly on the head.  
"You are not selfish."

Rhiem grinned.  
"Riu, what I want to do... is to make a world where you, and everyone else, can live happily." Rhiem pulled out a blackened gear from his pocket. The Soul Gear of the Krav IOS.  
"This is to remind me that everyone is important to someone.  
He held out his raw, near-frostbitten hand.  
"Riu, you'll help me build this world for you?"

She hugged Rhiem.  
"Only if you leave a little bit of this world for yourself."

Rhiem leapt onto the back of Brendan's bike, Southern Eagle in hand.  
"KJ! Grab on! Bren, gun it!"

The motorcycle roared, and raced down the main street, dragging it's three riders with it.  
"Frenchie! Don't tell me your master plan is triple suicide!"  
"Don't worry."  
Rhiem reached inside of his anacholite suit, to his old military uniform. He then found it. Noa's and the Krav Guy's Soul Gear. The gear was now slightly rusted, and most of the teeth were chipped.  
"The gear that the old man gave me, was the gear of a Baras IOS, the pre-construction of a Krav IOS. If the Southern Eagle's style with the Baras Gear is a gun that is designed to capture humans... then the Eagle with the gear of a Krav..."  
He clicked the tiny black gear into place. The chipped, rusted gear started spinning in it's place, and taking on a slight glow.  
Rhiem could see, out of the corner of his eye, the wide eyes of Brendan and KJ.  
When the glow faded, his gun was transformed. Where the barrel was, now a giant claw, attached to a link cable, and where the sights were, now a miniature grenade launcher.

"The gear of a Krav would be designed to capture wyvoids."

He lifted the gun, aimed at the floating Amatsu  
"Your first shot...I dub thee..."

Titan Launcher


End file.
